GIFT  OF 


Je  r,  s  ft  T . ,    Rosenberser 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  PRESS 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


THE  BAKER  AND  TAYLOR  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK 

THE  CAMBRIDGE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

LONDON 

THE  MARTJZEN-KABUSHIKI-KAISHA 

TOKYO,  OSAKA,    KYOTO,    FUKUOKA,   SKNDAl 

THE  MISSION  BOOK  COMPANY 


REV.  NATHANIEL  COLVER,  D.D.,  IN  1852 


THROUGH  THREE 
CENTURIES 

COLVER  AND  ROSENBERGER 
LIVES  AND  TIMES 

1620-1922 

By 

JESSE  LEONARD  ROSENBERGER 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  PRESS 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


c 


COPYRIGHT  1922  BY 
THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Published  February  1922 


Composed  and  Printed  By 

The  University  of  Chicago  Press 

Chicaso,  Illinois,  U.S.A. 


TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

SUSAN  ESTHER  COLVER 

ROSENBERGER 


478364 


PREFACE 

Stalwart,  intrepid  men  were  those  in  this  line  of  Colvers. 
New  settlements  and  small  villages,  together  with  farm  life, 
attracted  them,  but  did  not  completely  absorb  them.  Some 
of  them  were  particularly  distinguished  as  Indian  scouts,  and 
some  as  soldiers.  Then  came  those  who  took  on  more  of  the 
character,  not  only  of  soldiers,  but  of  sturdy  standard-bearers 
in  the  cause  of  righteousness.  Devotion  to  duty  and  a  deep  de- 
sire to  serve  others,  particularly  those  in  out-of-the-way  places, 
strongly  marked  them.  The  better  qualities  of  the  Puritan 
became  brighter  in  them  from  generation  to  generation. 

Take  the  Nathaniel  Colver  whose  life-story  is  told  at  some 
length.  Starting  with  very  little  schooling — or  as  a  graduate 
of  a  brush  heap,  as  he  once  quaintly  remarked — but  filled  with 
the  Bible,  and  possessed  of  unusual  natural  ability  and  elo- 
quence, he  became  a  noted  preacher  and  reformer  as  well  as 
later  a  sort  of  pioneer  in  ministerial  educational  work.  New 
England  and  northeastern  New  York  constituted  his  first  field 
of  activity.  Next,  it  was  centered  in  Boston,  where  he  was  the 
pastoral  founder  of  the  Tremont  Temple  Church.  Slavery  and 
intemperance  he  fought  unremittingly  and  unflinchingly  at 
every  turn,  even  in  the  face  of  mobs.  Then,  in  Chicago,  he  not 
only  had  much  to  do  with  the  founding  of,  but  he  gave  the  first 
regular  theological  instruction,  at  the  old  University  of  Chicago, 
for  the  Baptist  Union  Theological  Seminary,  which  is  the 
Divinity  School  of  the  University  of  Chicago  of  today.  Last  of 
all,  when  he  might  well  have  claimed  the  right  to  rest,  he  went, 
regardless  of  the  effects  which  it  was  likely  to  have,  and  did 
have,  on  his  health  and  in  the  shortening  of  his  life,  to  Richmond, 
Virginia,  where  he  opened,  in  an  old  slave  pen,  a  school  for 

vii 


viii  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

the  freedmen  which,  with  accretions,  has  become  the  Virginia 
Union  University. 

As  a  background,  or  for  explanatory  purposes,  many  refer- 
ences have  been  made  to  historical  events;  villages  and  cities, 
local  customs,  and  general  conditions  have  been  described;  some 
phases  of  religious  history,  especially  of  the  early  Baptists  and 
their  ministers,  have  been  recounted;  educational  developments 
have  been  traced;  and  considerable  of  the  history  of  the  old  or 
first  University  of  Chicago  has  been  given. 

It  is  hoped  that  it  may  all  prove  of  some  general  interest 
and  value,  as  also  that  it  may  help  to  increase,  to  a  degree,  the 
interest  in,  and  the  sentimental  importance  or  individuality  of, 
certain  endowments  that  have  been  made  for  educational  or 
religious-educational  purposes,  with  which  will  be  permanently 
connected  the  names  of  Nathaniel  Colver,  Charles  Kendrick 
Colver,  Susan  Colver  Rosenberger,  or  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jesse  L. 
Rosenberger. 

Special  acknowledgment  is  due  to  Dean  David  Allan 
Robertson,  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  for  helpful  suggestions. 
This  opportunity  is  also  taken  to  thank  most  heartily  everyone 
who  has  in  any  manner  aided  in  this  work. 

JESSE  LEONARD  ROSENBERGER 
CHICAGO 
January,  1922 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS xi 

PART  I 
COLVERS  AND  NEW  ENGLAND  IN  EARLY  DAYS 

CHAPTER 

I.  IN  EARLY  PURITAN  TIMES 3 

II.  IN  THE  SECOND  AND  THIRD  GENERATIONS 9 

III.  Two  EARLY  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 16 

PART  II 
REV.  NATHANIEL  COLVER,  D.D.,  AND  HIS  DAY 

I.  EARLY  LIFE  AND  TIMES 23 

II.  FIRST  TWENTY  YEARS  OF  MINISTRY 31 

III.  BOSTON  OR  TREMONT  TEMPLE  PASTORATE 47 

IV.  PASTORATES   IN   DETROIT,    CINCINNATI,    CHICAGO,   AND 
OTHER  PLACES 66 

V.  WORK  IN  CHICAGO  FOR  MINISTERIAL  EDUCATION    .     .     .82 

VI.  EDUCATIONAL  WORK  FOR  THE  FREEDMEN 103 

VII.  MUSTERED  OUT in 

PART  III 
THE  LIFE  OF  REV.  CHARLES  KENDRICK  COLVER 

I.  THROUGH  BOYHOOD 127 

II.  NINE  YEARS  OF  HARD  STUDY 138 

III.  EARLY  MINISTRY 151 

IV.  PASTORATES  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN 166 

V.  LATER  LIFE  AND  SUMMARY 188 

VI.  SCRIPTURAL  MEDITATIONS 199 

ix 


THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

PART  IV 
THE  LIFE-STORY  OF  SUSAN  ESTHER  COLVER 

PAGE 

I.  A  CHILD  or  NEW  ENGLAND 227 

II.  GIRLHOOD  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN 241 

III.  PREPARATORY  AND  COLLEGIATE  EDUCATION       .     .     .     .258 

IV.  THIRTY  YEARS  OP  SERVICE  IN  CHICAGO  SCHOOLS    .     .     .270 

PART  V 
JESSE  LEONARD  ROSENBERGER  AND  HIS  TIMES 

I.  PARENTAGE  AND  BIRTHPLACE 295 

II.  VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879 308 

III.  WORKING  AND  STUDYING 347 

IV.  THROUGH  THE  THREE  DECADES  FROM  1890 363 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 385 

INDEX 393 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  FAcmG 

PAGE 

REV.  NATHANIEL  COLVER,  D.D.,  IN  1852 iii 

THE  BAPTIST  MEETINGHOUSE  IN  WEST  CLARENDON,  VERMONT, 

BUILT  IN  1798 33 

THE  BAPTIST  MEETINGHOUSE  AT  FORT   COVINGTON,  NEW 

YORK,  BUILT  IN  1827-29 33 

THE  FIRST  TREMONT  TEMPLE,  BOSTON,  IN  1843       ....      47 

THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH  AT  HOLMESBURG,  Now  A  PART  OF 

PHILADELPHIA,  PENNSYLVANIA 47 

THE   OLD   BOTTSKILL   BAPTIST    MEETINGHOUSE   IN   UNION 

VILLAGE,  Now  GREENWICH,  NEW  YORK 79 

VIEW  FROM  OLD  COURTHOUSE  IN  CHICAGO  OF  FIRST  BAPTIST 

CHURCH,  MOVED  IN  1864  FOR  SECOND  CHURCH.      ...      79 

LUMPKIN'S  JAIL,  THE  OLD  SLAVE  PEN  IN  RICHMOND,  VIRGINIA, 
IN  WHICH  DR.  COLVER  STARTED  A  SCHOOL  FOR  THE 
FREEDMEN 105 

THE  FIRST  AFRICAN  BAPTIST  CHURCH  IN  RICHMOND,  VIRGINIA    105 
REV.  CHARLES  KENDRICK  COLVER  IN  1891 127 

SCHOOLHOUSE  AND  BAPTIST  MEETINGHOUSE  IN  KlNGSBURY, 

NEW  YORK 141 

HAMILTON  LITERARY  AND  THEOLOGICAL  INSTITUTION     ...     141 
BROWN  UNIVERSITY  IN  1840 141 

THE  THREE  SUCCESSIVE  BAPTIST  MEETINGHOUSES  IN  WATER- 
TOWN,  MASSACHUSETTS 151 

FIRST  BAPTIST  MEETINGHOUSE,  PROVIDENCE,  ERECTED  IN  1775    163 
THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH  IN  ANDOVER,  MASSACHUSETTS     .     .     .163 

xi 


xii  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

FACING 

SUSAN  ESTHER  COLVER  AT  THE  TIME  OF  HER  GRADUATION  PAGE 
FROM  THE  OLD  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  IN  1882     .     .     .    227 

THE  HOUSE  IN  WHICH  SUSAN  ESTHER  COLVER  WAS  BORN  .      .    229 

STREET  VIEW  SHOWING  THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH  IN  WHITMAN, 

FORMERLY  SOUTH  ABINGTON,  MASSACHUSETTS  .     .     .     .229 
THE  OLD  MOUNT  CARROLL  SEMINARY 261 

COLLEGE  HALL,  Now  CALLED  "WAYLAND  HALL,"  AT  BEAVER 

DAM,  WISCONSIN 261 

THE  HORACE  MANN  SCHOOL,  CHICAGO 276 

THE  NATHANAEL  GREENE  SCHOOL,  CHICAGO 276 

JESSE  LEONARD  ROSENBERGER  IN  1904 295 

THE  MAIDEN'S  ROCK  ON  LAKE  PEPIN,  AS  PICTURED  IN  1825     .  301 

LAKE  CITY,  MINNESOTA,  IN  1867 301 

A  BIT  OF  LAKE  PEPIN 338 

GATHERING  SAP  FROM  MAPLE  TREES  IN  SUGAR  BUSH  .     .     .  338 

THE  OLD  OR  FIRST  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO 356 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ROCHESTER  IN  1886 356 

THE  COLVER  LOT  IN  OAK  WOODS  CEMETERY,  CHICAGO   .     .     .381 

THE  TEMPLE  BUILDING,  THE  FIRST  CHURCH  BUILDING  IN 
CHICAGO 381 


PART  I 
COLVERS  AND  NEW  ENGLAND  IN  EARLY  DAYS 


CHAPTER  I 
IN  EARLY  PURITAN  TIMES 

The  period  of  American  history  from  early  Puritan  days  in 
New  England,  or  for  nearly  three  centuries,  was  spanned  by  a 
line  of  eight  successive  members  of  the  Colver  family.  All  of 
them  were  good,  patriotic  citizens,  who  helped  to  promote  the 
public  welfare,  in  one  way  or  another.  Five  or  six  of  them 
rendered  military  service,  and  assisted  in  building  up  and  safe- 
guarding new  settlements.  Four  of  them  were  Baptist  min- 
isters, at  least  two  of  whom  gave  themselves  unreservedly 
to  advancing  the  spiritual  and  moral  welfare  of  the  people 
over  wide  areas  of  the  country.  The  last  one — a  woman — 
was  an  unusually  successful  public-school  teacher  and  prin- 
cipal, who  devoted  her  life  to  educational  work  in  the  city  of 
Chicago. 

The  life-stories  of  the  last  three,  or  of  Rev.  Nathaniel 
Colver,  D.D.,  of  Rev.  Charles  Kendrick  Colver,  and  of  School- 
Principal  Susan  Esther  Colver  (afterward  Rosenberger),  are 
special  subjects  of  this  volume,  taken  up  separately.  However, 
it  will  give  a  better  understanding  of  the  general  character  of 
these  three,  or  of  what  they  were  and  what  they  did,  and  it  will 
also  in  itself  be  interesting  to  go  over  the  main  facts  known  of  the 
others  and  to  note  something  of  the  times  in  which  they  lived. 
Certain  fundamental  characteristics  will  be  found  to  be  more 
or  less  common  to  all  of  these  persons — such  as  courage,  inde- 
pendence, determination,  energy,  and  a  love  of  pioneering  and 
of  adventure;  and  sturdy  service  was  the  contribution  of 
them  all. 


4  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

First,  there  was  Edward  Colver,1  who  came  from  the  south- 
east of  England  with  a  party  of  colonists  brought  over  by  John 
Winthrop,  the  younger,  in  1635,  or  just  fifteen  years  after  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers  came  in  the  Mayflower.  In  Edward  Colver 
the  restless,  dauntless,  adventurous  spirit  of  the  pioneer  was 
strongly  manifested.  He  apparently  went  first  to  Boston, 
which  had  been  founded  about  five  years  before  that  time 
and  probably  had  more  comforts  to  offer  him  than  any  place  to 
which  he  afterward  went.  Still,  he  remained  there  only  a  year 
or  so  and  then  went  to  the  new  settlement  of  Dedham,  Massa- 
chusetts, founded  in  1635  or  in  1636,  about  ten  miles  southwest 
of  Boston,  but  which  must  have  seemed  a  long  way  by  ox  team 
over  the  rough  roads  through  either  forest  or  stony,  brush- 
covered  wilderness,  frequented  by  Indians  and  wild  animals. 
In  Dedham  he  married  "An  Ellice,"  or,  as  it  is  generally  spelled, 
Ann  Ellis,  and  prolonged  his  stay  there  to  upward  of  ten  years. 
After  that  he  moved  to  Roxbury,  which  is  now  incorporated 
into  the  city  of  Boston.  From  there  he  went  into  southeastern 
Connecticut,  residing  a  while  in  the  little  settlement  of  Pequot, 
then  in  one  of  Mystic,  and,  last,  at  another  location  in  the  town 
of  New  London.  Nor  was  he  content  to  follow  one  occupation 
all  of  the  time.  He  was  a  wheelwright  by  trade,  but  engaged 
occasionally  in  other  kinds  of  business  and  farmed  more  or  less. 
Besides  all  this,  he  took  part  in  the  Pequot  War,  as  well  as, 
notwithstanding  his  advanced  age,  being  a  scout  in  King  Philip's 
War.2  He  had  great  influence  with  the  Indians. 

1  The  name  of  Edward  Colver  and  of  others  of  the  Colvers  will  fre- 
quently be  found  written  "Culver";  but  "Colver"  is  the  correct  spelling 
according  to  Frederic  Lathrop  Colver,  Colvcr-Culver  Genealogy  (New  York: 
Frank  Allaban  Genealogical  Co.,  1910),  p.  18. 

'  "During  Philip's  War,  Edward  Culver  was  a  noted  soldier  and 
partisan,  often  sent  out  with  Indian  scouts  to  explore  the  wilderness."- 
Frances  Manwaring  Caulkins,  History  of  New  London,  Conn4cticut_(N$w 
London,  1852),  p.  309.  Again,  the  same  historian  says  that  in  1676,  the 
seat  of  war  being  transferred  to  the  neighborhood  of  Connecticut  River, 
"Edward  Culver  and  his  Indian  scouts  trailed  off  in  that  direction,  and  in 


IN  EARLY  PURITAN  TIMES  5 

From  the  historians  of  Dedham,  Massachusetts,  a  good  idea 
can  be  obtained  of  the  early  days  in  New  England  and  of  some 
of  the  conditions  under  which  Edward  Colver  lived.  When  he 
went  to  Dedham  he  found  the  earlier  settlers,  who  held  the 
grant  of  the  lands,  denying  admission  to  newcomers  until  it 
could  be  ascertained  what  provision  could  be  made  for  them, 
and  he,  along  with  others,  had  to  wait  for  a  new  survey  of  lands.1 
He  found  also  that  the  first  settlers  had  prepared  and  signed  a 
covenant  which  persons  later  admitted  into  the  settlement  were 
required  to  sign,  and  which  he  was  the  sixty-eighth  person  to 
sign.  This  covenant  is  of  importance  as  showing,  what  was 
generally  true  in  New  England,  that  it  was  not  only  the  object 
of  the  first  settlers  to  provide  homes  for  themselves  which  they 
could  own  and  where  they  would  be  free  from  obnoxious  religious 
and  political  restrictions,  but  that  it  was  also  their  purpose  to 
build  up  and  protect  there  exclusively  their  own  peculiar  form 


this  county  a  short  period  of  security  intervened." — History  of  Norwich, 
Connecticut  (1866),  p.  no. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Council  of  War,  in  Hartford,  on  February  10,  1675, 
the  "Councill"  ordered  Edward  Colver  and  John  Stedman,  "wth  some 
of  the  Indians  to  goe  forth  upon  the  scout,  betwixt  this  and  Springfeild, 
to  make  what  discouery  they  could  upon  the  enemie  to  the  eastward  of 
the  river";  and,  on  March  16,  the  " Councill"  advised  that  Edward  Colver, 
"wth  about  20  Moheags  and  Pequots,  com  up  to  Hartford  forthwith," 
etc. — The  Public  Records  of  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  from  1665  to  1678; 
with  the  Journal  of  the  Council  of  War  1675  to  x^7^  (Hartford:  F.  A.  Brown, 
1852),  pp.  408,  417. 

Edward  Colver  died  in  1685  at  the  age  of  about  seventy-five  or 
eighty  years. 

1  Samuel  F.  Haven,  An  Historical  Address  Delivered  before  the  Citizens 
of  the  Town  of  Dedham  on  September  21,  1836  (Dedham:  Herman  Mann, 
1837),  p.  13.  After  a  time,  in  1637,  according  to  the  records  in  the  "Ded- 
ham Towne  Booke,"  it  was  "Ordered  that  Edward  Colver  [written  also 
'Ed.  Coluer']  wheelwright  shall  haue  twoe  Acres  layd  out  for  ye  present 
imployment  in  his  trade  &  after  to  haue  an  addicion  els  wher  as  shalbe 
found  needfull.  In  the  meane  tyme  to  haue  free  liberty  of  taking  Timber 
for  his  trade  every  mans  ppriety  Reserved." — Dedham  Records  (Dedham, 
1892),  III,  37.  Other  like  small  parcels  of  land  were  granted  him  in  1639, 
1642,  1645.— Ibid.,  pp.  57,  95,  no,  112. 


6  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

of  religious  and  political  establishment,  barring  all  others  and 
everybody  and  everything  discordant  with  their  notions.  The 
Dedham  covenant,  as  recorded  in  the  "Dedham,  Towne  Booke, 
for  the  Entering,  and  Recording,  of  all  such  Orders  as  ar  or  shall 
be  for  the  Gouerment  there  of  as  followeth,"  was,  in  part: 

"i  We  whose  names  ar  here  vnto  subscribed,  doe.  in  the 
feare  and  Reuerence  of  our  Allmightie  God,  Mutually:  and 
seuerally  pmse  amongst  our  selues  and  each  to  other  to  pffesse 
and  practice  one  trueth  according  to  that  most  pfect  rule,  the 
foundacion  where  of  is  Euerlasting  Loue. 

"  2  That  we  shall  by  all  meanes  Laboure  to  Keepe  of  from 
vs  all  such  as  ar  contrarye  minded.  And  receaue  onely  such 
vnto  vs  as  be  such  as  may  be  pbably  of  one  harte,  with  vs  as 
that  we  either  knowe  or  may  well  and  truely  be  informed  to 
walke  in  a  peaceable  conuersation  with  all  meekenes  of  spirit 
for  the  edification  of  each  other  in  the  knowledg  and  faith  of 
the  Lord  Jesus:  And  the  mutuall  encouragm*  vnto  all  Temporall 
comforts  in  all  things:  seekeing  the  good  of  each  other  out  of 
all  which  may  be  deriued  true  Peace."1 

A  law  of  the  colony,  as  well  as  the  dangers  which  for  the 
first  fifty  years  or  more  beset  the  people,  compelled  them  to 
build  their  houses  near  one  another.  Those  built  first  were 
rude  log  structures,  roofed  with  thatch,  and  in  Dedham  a  town 
ordinance  required  that  there  should  be  a  ladder  from  the  ground 
to  the  chimney,  for  use  in  case  of  fire. 

Like  the  dwelling-houses,  only  larger,  was  the  first  meeting- 
house built  in  Dedham,  in  1637,  which  was  used  for  more  than 
thirty  years.  It  was  36  feet  long,  20  feet  wide,  and  12  feet  high. 
It  was  built  of  logs.  The  roof  was  thatched  with  long  grass. 
A  large  ladder  rested  on  the  roof.  The  walls  on  the  inside  of 
the  meetinghouse  were  left  bare.  After  nineteen  years,  when 
1 60  families  were  worshiping  in  it,  it  was  voted  to  have  the 
meetinghouse  lathed  upon  the  inside,  "and  so  daubed  and  whited 

1  Dedham  Records,  III,  2. 


IN  EARLY  PURITAN  TIMES  7 

over,  workmanlike."  The  "pitts,"  as  the  pews  were  called  in 
the  records,  were  5  feet  deep,  and  4!  feet  wide.  The  elders' 
and  the  deacons'  seats  were  in  front  of  the  pulpit,  with  the 
communion  table  so  placed  before  them  that  it  could  be 
approached  from  all  directions. 

According  to  the  general  custom  of  those  days,  the  men  sat 
on  one  side  in  the  meetinghouse  and  the  women  on  the  other, 
while  the  boys  and  the  girls  were  seated  either  in  the  aisle  or  on 
raised  seats  in  the  rear,  where  they  could  be  easily  watched. 
The  tithingman,  as  he  was  called,  had  arduous  duties,  and  many 
years  received  as  much  pay  for  his  services  as  did  the  deputy 
to  the  general  court.  He  was  obliged  to  go  on  errands  for  the 
elders,  to  whip  the  dogs  out  of  the  meetinghouse,  and  to  prevent 
disorder  among  the  boys.  The  business  of  seating  persons  in 
the  meetinghouse  came  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  elders. 
The  greatest  taxpayer  had  the  best  seat.  Discourses  of  four 
hours'  length  were  not  a  rarity,  and  laymen  spent  much  time 
in  discussing  such  subjects  as  whether  a  believer  is  more  than 
a  creature,  and  whether  a  man  may  be  justified  before  he 
believes.  Even  their  humor,  jests,  and  puns  were  generally 
given  a  scriptural  phrasing. 

Near  the  meetinghouse  there  was  built,  somewhat  later,  a 
schoolhouse.  That  was  18  feet  long,  14  feet  wide,  and  two 
stories  high,  with  a  watchtower  of  small  dimensions  on  top, 
beside  the  ample  stone  chimney.  Edward  Colver  or  anyone 
else,  standing  on  the  watchtower  soon  after  it  was  built  and 
looking  out  on  the  plain  beneath  him,  saw  about  two  hundred 
acres  of  land  that  had  been  cleared  and  partially  subdued,  yet 
which  was  full  of  stumps  and  roots.  Around  him,  at  a  farther 
distance,  he  saw  the  common  feeding  lands,  or  "herd  walks," 
as  they  were  called. 

The  first  minister,  who  served  for  thirty- two  years,  depended 
on  voluntary  contributions  and  liberal  grants  of  land  for  his 
compensation  and  was  at  the  time  of  his  death  the  largest 


8  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

landholder  in  the  community,  save  one  deacon.  But  all  of  that 
minister's  successors  had  salaries  voted  to  them,  although  many 
times  the  salaries  were  voluntarily  paid  by  the  people,  without 
the  levying  of  a  tax.  For  upward  of  seventy-five  years  the 
amount  granted  a  year  for  schools  was  twenty  pounds,  except 
for  a  time  when  it  was  reduced  to  ten  pounds  a  year. 

The  numerous  dogs  in  the  settlement,  which  were  so  an- 
noying to  the  worshiping  congregation,  were  kept  largely  as  a 
protection  against  the  Indians  and  the  wild  beasts  that  sur- 
rounded the  settlement,  but  they  were  not  an  entire  protection 
against  the  wolves  which  abounded  almost  everywhere. 

The  prevailing  traits  of  character  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Dedham  and  some  of  the  conditions  there  at  different  periods 
were  summarized  somewhat  to  this  effect:  At  about  1644,  the 
people  were  religious,  harmonious,  patriotic,  and  successful  in 
their  enterprises,  and  the  town  devoted  sufficient  land  to  support 
one  schoolmaster  all  the  year;  1664,  the  character  of  the  people 
remained  nearly  the  same,  but  the  town  began  to  relax  in  the 
support  of  the  schools,  and  was  indicted  for  neglect  in  1674; 
1684,  there  was  a  vacancy  in  the  ministry,  which  what  were 
termed  four  candidates  successively  declined  to  fill;  1704,  there 
were  disorderly  elections,  church  quarrels,  bad  manners,  bad 
records,  incompetent  town  officers,  and  (in  1691)  the  town  was 
again  indicted  for  neglect  in  supporting  schools — people  dis- 
persed into  parishes;  1724,  the  character  of  the  people  was 
nearly  the  same  as  in  the  preceding  period,  the  school  farm  was 
sold  and  the  proceeds  thereof  were  misappropriated;  1744,  four 
men,  seeing  the  deplorable  lack  of  school  education,  made 
donations  to  support  the  schools  and  to  teach  good  manners; 
1764,  there  were  still  quarrels  in  the  First  Church,  ecclesiastical 
councils,  and  a  dismission  of  the  minister  in  the  Third  Parish.1 

1  Erastus  Worthington,  The  History  of  Dedham,  from  the  Beginning  of 
Its  Settlement  in  September,  1635,  to  May,  1827  (Boston:  Button  &  Went- 
worth,  1827),  pp.  14,  35,  124;  Samuel  F.  Haven,  An  Historical  Address, 
etc.,  pp.  15-16. 


CHAPTER  II 
IN  THE  SECOND  AND  THIRD  GENERATIONS 

Twenty-two  years  or  thereabout  after  Edward  Colver  left 
Massachusetts  to  make  his  home  in  Connecticut,  and  long  after 
his  name  had  become  fixed  in  the  public  records  of  the  latter 
colony,  the  name  of  another  Edward  Colver  began  to  appear 
also  in  those  records.  He,  too,  was  an  Indian-fighter,  and  took 
part  in  King  Philip's  War.  In  the  course  of  time  he  became 
a  lieutenant  of  Connecticut  scouts.  He  rendered  considerable 
military  service  and  is  known  principally  for  that.  But  he  was 
also  a  farmer  and  a  surveyor,  and  in  the  latter  capacity  he 
rendered  an  important  service  to  the  early  settlers.  There 
seems  to  be  little  doubt  in  the  minds  of  genealogists  but  that 
he  was  a  son  of  the  first  Edward  Colver,1  although  there  appears 
to  be  no  direct  recorded  evidence  of  that  fact,  which  may  be 
accounted  for  by  his  having  been  born,  as  it  is  assumed,  about 
1653,  or  after  the  removal  of  the  elder  Edward  Colver  and  his 
family  to  Pequot,  where  probably  no  records  were  then  kept  of 
births,  or  at  least  none  was  made  of  the  birth  of  the  younger 
Edward.  He  is  heard  of  first  in  Norwich,  Connecticut,  about 
fifteen  miles  up  the  Thames  River  from  Pequot  or  from  New 
London;  and  in  Norwich,  in  1682,  he  married  Sarah  Backus,2 

1  Frederic  Lathrop  Colver,  Colver-Culver  Genealogy,  pp.  52-54;   George 
Norbury  Mackenzie,  Colonial  Families  of  the  United  States  of  America 
(Baltimore:   The  Seaforth  Press,  1914),  IV,  no-u;    Royal  R.  Hinman, 
A  Catalogue  of  the  Names  of  the  Early  Puritan  Settlers  of  the  Colony  of  Con- 
necticut (Hartford:  Press  of  Case,  Tiffany  &  Co.,  1852),  pp.  772-73. 

2  Norwich  and  Backus  are  names  familiar  to  many  Baptists  because 
the  author  of  A  History  of  New  England,  with  Particular  Reference  to  the 
Denomination  of  Christians  Called  Baptists,  was  Isaac  Backus,  who  was  born 
in  Norwich  in  1724. 


10          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

daughter  of  Lieutenant  William  Backus,  Jr.  Later,  Lieutenant 
Edward  Colver  showed  the  spirit  and  the  courage  of  the  pioneer 
by  moving  from  Norwich  northwest  to  Lebanon,  and  by  after- 
ward moving  from  Lebanon  about  fifty  miles  farther  northwest, 
into  the  interior,  to  Litchfield.  While  such  removals  may  now 
seem  comparatively  short  and  of  little  moment,  they  were  then 
quite  difficult  to  make  and  important  in  effect.  To  begin  with, 
there  was  hardly  anything  that  could  be  rightly  called  a  road, 
or  at  best  the  road  was  a  very  poor  one,  hard  to  travel  over. 
Then,  such  removals  meant  increased  dangers  or  troubles  from 
the  Indians  and  the  numerous  wild  animals.  They  also  required 
the  building  of  new  houses  and  other  structures,  and  the  giving 
up  of  some  social  and  other  comforts  previously  enjoyed.  In 
other  words,  each  removal  was  much  like  making  a  new  start 
in  life,  in  an  entirely  new  country,  partly  compensated,  perhaps, 
by  an  increase  in  the  number  of  acres  which  might  be  secured, 
or  by  the  acquirement  of  land  of  a  better  quality  than  that 
possessed  before. 

Like  Lieutenant  Edward  Colver  in  rendering  military  service 
as  occasion  required,  and  in  times  of  peace  rendering  equally 
valuable  service  to  the  community  as  a  surveyor,  as  well  as  like 
him  in  also  being  a  farmer,  was  his  son,  Sergeant  Samuel  Colver. 
The  latter  was  born  in  Norwich,  Connecticut,  on  February  n, 
1691.  When  he  was  about  seven  years  of  age,  the  family  moved 
to  Lebanon,  where  he  grew  up  into  manhood,  and  when  he  was 
about  twenty-three  years  old  he  married  Hannah  Hibbard. 
After  he  had  lived  in  Lebanon  about  twenty-five  years,  he 
moved  to  Litchfield,  probably  when  his  father  did.  He  took 
a  special  interest  in  local  governmental  affairs,  and  as  he  com- 
manded the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  neighbors  he  was 
chosen  at  different  times  to  hold  various  local  offices,  including 
that  of  school  trustee.  In  1741  he  was  the  representative  or 
deputy  from  Litchfield  to  the  general  court  or  assembly.  He 
also  took  a  considerable  interest  in  the  activities  of  the  church, 


IN  THE  SECOND  AND  THIRD  GENERATIONS  II 

and  in  this  he  was  following,  too,  somewhat  in  the  footsteps  of 
his  father.1 

Of  the  religious  character  of  the  first  Edward  Colver  even 
less  is  directly  known,  except  that  he  was  one  of  the  early  Puri- 
tans. But  the  Puritans  were  not  all  religious  enthusiasts.  The 
term  Puritan  was  applied  originally  in  derision  or  as  a  reproach 
to  persons  demanding  a  reform  in  politics  as  well  as  to  those 
insisting  on  one  in  religious  matters.  The  year  1635  was  marked 
by  the  number  of  persons  of  high  character,  called  Puritans, 
who  came  to  America,  perhaps  most  of  them  for  religious 
reasons,  but  some  out  of  political  considerations,  and  some 
because  allured  by  the  prospect  of  obtaining  free  land.  Just 
how  Edward  Colver  should  be  classed  in  this  respect  is  left  to 
conjecture.  Possibly  the  strongest  evidence  of  his  character  is 
furnished  by  his  signing  the  Dedham  covenant  and  being 
received  into  that  then  very  particular  and  severely  religious 
community.2 

It  may  also  be  of  some  significance  that  twenty-one  years 
or  more  after  the  baptism  of  John  and  at  a  time  when  the  family 
were  living  in  Pequot,  Connecticut,  the  town  record  says  that 
"John  Culver  is  chosen  for  this  next  yeere,  to  drumm  Saboth 
days  and  as  formerly  for  meetings,"  the  drum  being  used  at 
that  time,  in  lieu  of  church  bells,  to  call  the  worshipers  together. 

lieutenant  Edward  Colver  died  on  April  7,  1732.  Sergeant  Samuel 
Colver  died  about  1770. 

3  But  the  children  baptized  at  Dedham,  Massachusetts,  are  referred 
to  in  the  old  First  Church  records  after  this  manner:  "John  ye  sone  of  our 
Sister  Culver  was  baptized  iQth  of  ye  7m  1641";  "Samuell  ye  sone  of  our 
sister  Culver  &  hir  husband  ....  Culver  was  baptized  i2d  nm  1644"; 
"Joseph  ye  sonne  of  our  Sister  Culver  was  baptized  2od  of  ye  7m  1646." 
"Anne  Culver,  ye  wife  of  Edward  Culver,"  it  was  recorded,  was  admitted 
into  the  church  on  the  "i7th  of  ye  7m  1641";  while  the  marriage  record, 
of  1638,  was  simply:  "Edward  Coluer  &  An  Ellice,  were  married  iQth 
7mo/' — Dedham  Records:  The  Records  of  Births,  Marriages,  etc.,  in  the 
Town  of  Dedham  (Dedham,  1886-88),  II,  25  ff.;  I,  126. 


12  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Nor  is  it  more  than  an  evidence  of  a  custom  of  the  times 
and  of  what  now  seems  one  of  the  strange  notions  of  right  and 
the  "public  good"  that  were  then  entertained  along  with  strict 
religious  views,  that  the  same  town  record,  in  which  the  entries 
were  made  by  the  moderator,  contained  the  following  references 
to  Edward  Colver,  who  became  established  in  Pequot  as  a  baker 
and  as  a  sort  of  innkeeper:  "Goodman  Culver  is  chosen  and 
allowed  of  by  the  towne  for  the  making  of  bread  and  bruing 
of  beere  for  the  publicke  goode";  and,  "Goodman  Culver  is 
allowed  by  the  towne  to  sell  liquors,  provided  he  shall  brew  also, 
ells  not:  provided  also  the  court  allow  of  it,  ingaging  always  to 
have  good  beere  and  good  dyet  and  lodging  for  man  and  horse, 
to  attend  alsoe  to  good  order."1 

As  another  sidelight,  and  as  that  only,  account  may  be 
further  taken  here  that  John  Colver,  probably  Edward  Colver's 
son,  once  chosen  to  "drumm  Saboth  days"  for  meetings,  was 
apparently  of  a  religious  nature  and  became  one  of  the  earliest 
and  most  faithful  followers  of  John  Rogers,  or  one  of  the 
"Rogerenes,"  "Rogerines,"  "Rogerene  Quakers,"  or  "Rogerene 
Baptists,"  as  they  were  variously  called,  who  maintained  espe- 
cially that  what  they  designated  as  the  "New  England  idol" 
was  being  made  of  the  Puritan  or  first-day  Sabbath,  and  that 
it  was  their  duty  to  demolish  that  idol,  which  they  sought  to  do 
by  breaking  up  religious  meetings  by  interruptions,  and  by 
working  on  Sunday  near  meetinghouses  and  along  roads  used 
by  people  in  going  to  church.  They  also  took  work  with  them 
into  the  meetinghouses,  but  they  sometimes  did  that  when  they 
attended  their  own  services,  the  men  whittling  out  basket 
splints  or  doing  other  noiseless  work,  and  the  women  sewing  or 
knitting.  The  culmination  of  their  attempts  to  break  up  meet- 
ings was  apparently  reached  when,  as  a  contemporary  quaintly 
and  tersely  wrote  in  his  diary  for  "Aprill,"  1716:  "Sund  22 
fair.  mr.  adams  Pr.  all  day John  Rogers  &  his  Crew 

1  Frances  Man  waring  Caulkins,  History  of  New  London,  pp.  134-37. 


IN  THE  SECOND  AND  THIRD  GENERATIONS  13 

att  meeting  foren  and  aftern.  5  of  ym  put  into  prison  vizt 
Jno  Boles  &  his  wife  Jno  Culver  &  his  wife  &  Jno  Rogers  Senr 
his  wife  but  She  was  discharged  next  day."1  In  May  the 
general  court  ordered  John  Bolles  and  his  wife  and  John  Colver 
and  his  wife  released  from  the  "goal,"  representation  having 
been  made  by  the  "Governour"  that  some  related  to  the 
prisoners  had  assured  him  that  they  were  altogether  ignorant 
of  the  law,  and  that  if  their  offense  should  be  overlooked  it 
might  be  hoped  that  they  would  not  offend  again  in  like  manner.2 
But  in  1725  a  party  of  eight,  which  included  a  Sarah  Colver, 
called  by  them  a  "singing  sister,"  were  arrested  at  Norwich, 
and  locked  up,  for  traveling  on  the  Sabbath.  They  said  that 
they  were  on  their  way  to  Lebanon  to  attend  a  baptism.  Never- 
theless, on  the  following  day  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  Mr.  Joseph 
Backus,  the  grandfather  of  the  historian,  sentenced  them  to  pay 
a  fine  of  twenty  shillings  each  or  to  be  whipped;  and  when  the 
fines  were  not  paid  they  were  whipped.  The  sect,  which  took 
its  rise  at  New  London  about  1674,  also  proclaimed  loudly 
against  a  "hireling  ministry,"  or  priestcraft,  which  it  desired 
to  destroy  along  with  the  alleged  Sabbath-day  "idol."  In  1734 
John  Colver  removed  to  New  Jersey  with  his  Rogerene  family, 
consisting  of  his  wife  Sarah,  five  sons  and  five  daughters,  and 
nine  others  in  their  families.3 

The  Puritans  established  in  New  England  churches  of 
practically  only  one  character  and,  to  begin  with,  one  church 

1  Diary  of  Joshua  Hemps lead  of  New  London,  Connecticut  (New  London: 
New  London  Historical  Society,  1901),  p.  55. 

2  The  Public  Records  of  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  from  October,  1706, 
to  October,  1716  (Hartford,  1870),  p.  559. 

3  David  Benedict,  A  General  History  of  the  Baptist  Denomination  in 
America  and  Other  Parts  of  the  World  (Boston,  1813),  II,  422  ff.;   Frances 
Man  waring  Caulkins,  History  of  Norwich,  pp.   290-91;    Julius  Friedrich 
Sachse,    The    German    Sectarians    of  Pennsylvania    (Philadelphia,    1900), 
III,  98  ff. 


14          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

only  for  each  community.  This  church  was  without  any  dis- 
tinctive name.  It  was  simply  "the  church."  Later,  when 
growth  and  spread  of  population  required  more  of  these  churches 
to  accommodate  the  people,  the  churches  were  designated  by 
number,  as  the  "First  Church,"  the  "Second  Church,"  the 
"Third  Church,"  or  the  "First  Parish  Church,"  and  so  on. 
There  was  no  denominational  characterization  of  them.  In 
the  course  of  time,  however,  they  became  generally  known  as 
Congregational  churches,  many  of  which  eventually  became 
Unitarian  churches.  The  Puritan  founders  of  these  churches 
were  not  all  originally  separatists  or  in  favor  of  founding  a 
church  or  churches  different  from  that  to  which  they  had  be- 
longed, which  they  desired  rather  to  purify  from  within;  but 
when  they  once  reached  New  England,  and  breathed  its  free 
air,  they  organized  there  churches  that  were  ecclesiastically 
independent,  but  which  were  intended  to  be  more  or  less  con- 
nected with  the  state  and  to  be  supported  by  taxation.  How- 
ever, in  so  far  as  they  thought  to  make  their  churches  the 
permanent  and  only  ones  of  the  various  communities  or  of  the 
state,  they  were  soon  to  meet  with  disappointment. 

Religious  thought  could  not  be  controlled  in  New  England 
any  more  than  it  could  be  in  Old  England,  and  one  church 
could  not  possibly  be  made  to  do  for  everybody  beyond  the 
limited  time  that  the  population  remained  strictly  homogeneous. 
In  fact,  it  was  not  long  before  even  among  those  who  were  at 
first  accounted  of  one  mind  on  religious  questions  there  began 
to  appear  divergencies  of  opinion.  The  renunciation  of  outside 
authority  and  the  making  of  the  Bible  the  sole  guide  in  all 
religious  matters  greatly  tended  to  this  end. 

Individual  study  and  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures  by 
those  of  thoughtful  mind  produced  in  particular  many  of  those 
who  were  denominated  Baptists.  Others  brought  Baptist  doc- 
trines with  them,  especially  from  England  and  Wales,  and  spread 
them  among  the  people,  many  of  whom  received  them  gladly. 


IN  THE  SECOND  AND  THIRD  GENERATIONS  15 

Then  Baptist  churches  were  formed.  What  has  generally  been 
called  the  first  Baptist  church  in  America  was  founded  by  Roger 
Williams,  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  in  1639.  Another  Bap- 
tist church  was  founded  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  in  1644. 
The  third  one  was  founded  at  Swansea,  Massachusetts,  in  1663, 
and  what  is  now  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Boston  was  founded 
in  1665.  But  in  early  days  Baptists  were  not  welcome  in  New 
England  generally,  and  in  Massachusetts  particularly  they  met 
at  first  with  strong  opposition  and  even  bitter  persecution, 
though  perhaps  with  hardly  as  much  as  did  the  Quakers. 
Nevertheless,  the  Baptists  increased  in  numbers,  and  their 
churches  were  multiplied. 


CHAPTER  III 
TWO  EARLY  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

Among  the  men  who,  in  the  second  century  of  the  history 
of  the  Baptist  church  in  New  England,  contributed  by  their 
labors  to  its  development  were  three,  each  one  of  whom  bore  the 
name  of  Nathaniel  Colver.  The  first  two  of  them  in  particular 
were  typical  of  most  of  the  Baptist  ministers  of  that  and  of  the 
preceding  century. 

The  first  Nathaniel  Colver,  of  these  three,  was  born  on 
June  29,  1728,  in  Litchfield,  Connecticut.  He  was  a  son  of 
Samuel  Colver.  It  is  not  known  at  what  time  or  in  what  man- 
ner he  became  a  Baptist.  Until  after  the  Revolutionary  War 
when  he  was  about  fifty-five  years  of  age,  he  is  known  chiefly 
for  his  military  service,  of  which  he  rendered  considerable,  the 
last  being  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  apparently  attained 
some  rank,  such  as  that  of  first  lieutenant.  By  occupation  he 
was  a  farmer.  He  also  took  an  interest  in  local  affairs  and  held 
some  minor  offices.  In  1752,  he  married  Ruth  Kilbourn,  a 
descendant  of  an  old  and  illustrious  family.1  When  he  was 
about  thirty  years  of  age,  he  moved  to  Spencertown,  in  what 
was  then  a  part  of  Albany  County,  New  York;  and  in  1767  he 
was  sent,  with  another  appointee,  to  England  to  seek  an  adjust- 
ment of  disputed  land  titles.  After  the  Revolutionary  War  he 
appeared  again  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Connecticut,  labor- 
ing among  the  scattered  settlers  and  in  the  small  settlements  as 
a  sort  of  itinerant  Baptist  minister,  which  suggests  that  he  may 
have  done  some  of  the  same  kind  of  work  before.  Later  he 

1  Payne  Kenyon  Kilbourne,  The  History  and  Antiquities  of  the  Name 
and  Family  of  Kilbourn  (New  Haven:  Durrie  &  Peck,  1856),  p.  103. 

16 


TWO  EARLY  BAPTIST  MINISTERS  17 

moved  from  Spencertown  to  the  still  newer  settlement  of 
Hubbardton,  Vermont.  There  it  was  recorded  that,  after 
there  had  been  a  revival  of  religion  from  which  ten  had  been 
added  to  the  Baptist  church,  "in  January,  1788,  the  people 
moved  Nathaniel  Culver  into  the  place,  having  previously  built 
for  him  a  log  house.  He  had  settled  on  the  west  side  of  Castle- 
ton  Pond,  far  away  from  any  inhabitants,  and  was  there  taken 
down  with  rheumatism,  and  was  helpless  for  a  number  of  months. 
As  soon  as  he  was  able,  they  gave  him  the  lead  of  their  meet- 
ings— licensing  him  to  preach;  he  and  his  wife  uniting  with  the 
Baptist  church,  making  twenty-four  members.  They  now  had 
regular  preaching  until  1796."* 

The  same  authority  furnishes  the  material  from  which  to 
construct  a  very  good  mental  picture  of  the  early  conditions  in 
Hubbardton,  and  therefore  an  equally  true  one  of  the  newly 
settled  rural  portions  of  Vermont  generally,  which  were  settled 
comparatively  late. 

The  town  of  Hubbardton  was  somewhat  less  than  six  miles 
square,  and  was  situated  in  a  rough  mountainous  region.  The 
first  settlement,  which  in  1784  consisted  of  about  twenty  fami- 
lies in  as  many  log  houses,  was  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the 
town.  The  roofs  and  gables  of  the  houses  were  constructed  of 
elm  bark.  The  windows  were  either  of  grained  sheepskin  or  of 
greased  paper.  The  floors  were  of  split  logs,  hewed  on  one  side, 
and  were  often  so  uneven  that  one  side  of  the  table  would  be 
higher  than  the  other  and  a  chip  would  be  placed  under  one 
edge  of  the  porridge  dish.  Fireplaces  with  large  chimneys  were 
constructed  of  stone.  The  household  furniture  was  principally 
homemade.  Often  whole  families  would  live  a  long  time  on 
roasted  potatoes,  boiled  or  pounded  corn,  and  even  boiled  wheat. 
The  clothing  was  all  homespun  and  homemade.  The  children 

1  Amos  Churchill,  in  the  Vermont  Historical  Gazetteer  (Claremont,  N.H. : 
Claremont  M'f'g  Co.,  1877),  III,  777,  This  Nathaniel  Colver  died  on 
February  19,  1809. 


l8  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

went  barefooted  among  the  stubs  in  summer;  and  some  of  them 
even  went  barefooted  all  winter.  There  was  little  opportunity  for 
getting  any  education,  except  what  the  more  diligent  and  studi- 
ous could  obtain  in  the  long  winter  evenings  by  the  light  of 
blazing  pine  knots  or  splinters,  previously  got  ready  for  that 
use.  The  home  library  usually  consisted  of  little  more  than  a 
Bible,  a  psalm  book,  and  a  catechism. 

The  Baptist  ministers  generally,  and  many  of  the  others, 
were  of  the  itinerant  class,  self-educated  and  for  the  most  part 
self-supported,  mainly  by  farming.  The  people,  as  a  rule, 
wanted  no  others.  They  objected  to  both  an  educated  ministry 
and  a  "hireling"  one.  But  these  itinerant  ministers  were  with 
few  exceptions  noble,  self-sacrificing  men,  full  of  the  Bible  and 
of  the  Spirit.  They  were  a  hardy  lot,  able  and  faithful,  and  did 
great  good  in  their  day,  of  which  almost  no  record  has  been  pre- 
served and  for  which  but  little  credit  has  ever  been  given  them. 

It  was  not  long  after  the  settlers  began  to  appear  in  the 
state  in  considerable  numbers  before  these  ministers  might  be 
seen  traversing  the  mountains  and  valleys,  following  such  roads 
and  trails  as  there  were,  or  going  often  where  there  were  none, 
seeking  out  the  Lord's  sheep  in  the  wilderness.  They  rode  on 
horseback,  or  went  on  foot,  according  to  circumstances;  in  the 
one  case  taking  nothing  along  but  a  pair  of  saddlebags  con- 
taining a  Bible,  a  psalm  book,  and  an  extra  shirt  or  two;  and 
in  the  other  case  carrying  even  less  baggage.  Thus  they  trav- 
eled through  the  forests,  through  rain  or  through  snow,  and 
through  mud,  even  swimming  streams.  Sometimes,  too,  they 
were  overtaken  by  storms,  lost  their  way,  and  lay  out  all  night. 
Still,  they  hesitated  not. 

In  Hubbardton  the  first  meetings  were  held  in  the  homes  of 
the  people,  then  in  the  schoolhouse,  and  after  that  in  a  log 
meetinghouse  that  was  built  in  1787.  This  last  was  furnished 
with  benches,  not  pews,  and  had  seats  on  the  sides  for  the 
singers.  After  the  people  began  to  build  meetinghouses  and  to 


TWO  EARLY  BAPTIST  MINISTERS  19 

meet  in  them,  there  was  for  many  years  no  thought  of  such  a 
thing  as  a  stove  for  warming  them,  except  that  the  women 
might  have  their  foot  stoves,  which  were  boxlike  in  form  and 
had  pans  for  hot  coals,  to  warm  the  feet;  and  on  cold  days  it 
was  encouraging  both  to  the  minister  and  to  the  people  to  see  a 
good  number  of  the  foot  stoves  brought  in,  well  filled.  The 
people  valued  highly  the  privilege  of  meeting  together;  and 
when  there  was  no  minister  they  were  still  wont  to  assemble  for 
worship  by  prayer,  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  exhortation,  or 
perhaps  the  reading  of  a  sermon,  with  singing,  line  by  line,  in 
the  old-fashioned  way  that  was  followed  to  enable  all  to  join 
in  the  sacred  songs  when  hymn  books  were  scarce.  The  people 
also  quite  generally  maintained  family  worship  and  attended  to 
the  catechizing  of  their  children.  The  conversation  of  the 
ministers  when  they  called  was  mostly  on  things  spiritual. 

The  second  Nathaniel  Colver,  in  this  line  of  three  Baptist 
ministers  of  that  name,  was  a  son  of  the  first  one,  and  was  born 
in  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  on  September  27,  1755.  He  was 
between  two  and  three  years  of  age  when  the  family  moved  to 
Spencertown,  New  York.  When  he  was  about  nineteen  years 
of  age  he  married  Esther  Dean,  of  a  family  noted  for  the  natural 
eloquence  of  its  members.  He  gained  his  livelihood  by  farming. 
He  is  not  generally  mentioned  as  having  performed  any  military 
service,  but  it  seems  quite  possible  that  he  may  have  rendered 
some  of  that  which  has  been  attributed  to  his  father,  especially 
in  the  Revolutionary  War,  their  names  and  places  of  residence 
having  been  the  same.  Early  in  March,  1793,  he  moved  to 
Orwell,  Vermont,  not  many  miles  from  Hubbardton,  where 
his  father  was  located.  Two  years  afterward,  he  moved  to 
Champlain,  on  the  frontier  in  northeastern  New  York,  and 
about  fifteen  years  after  that  he  moved  near  to  what  is  now 
called  West  Stockbridge  Center,  Massachusetts. 

Comparatively  early  in  his  life  he  engaged  in  the  work  of  a 
Baptist  minister,  extending  it  as  widely  as  he  could  over  portions 


20  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

of  Vermont,  of  northeastern  New  York,  and  of  western  Massa- 
chusetts, for,  besides  serving  at  times  as  pastor  of  certain  small 
Baptist  churches,  he  traveled  extensively  through  the  country 
roundabout,  preaching  in  dwelling-houses,  or  in  the  open  air,  or 
wherever  a  congregation,  large  or  small,  could  conveniently  be 
gathered.  It  was  no  disparagement  to  him  that  he  gave  him- 
self to  the  work  that  he  did,  but  of  the  greatest  credit,  when  all 
of  the  circumstances  are  considered.  It  was  not  only  ministerial 
work,  but  also  very  largely  home-missionary  work  when  and 
where  it  was  greatly  needed  and  meant  much  more  than  such 
work  would  now. 

He  was  a  man  of  strong  character  and  of  a  great  deal  of  abil- 
ity, a  remarkably  close  thinker,  a  logical  reasoner,  and  a  clear 
expounder  of  the  Bible.  A  glimpse  of  his  life  for  a  few  days 
after  he  arrived  in  Orwell,  Vermont,  has  been  preserved  from 
his  diary.  On  Sunday,  he  preached.  A  day  or  two  after  that, 
he  went  to  a  neighbor's  "  to  get  an  axe  laid."  The  day  following, 
he  "studied  in  the  forenoon;  in  the  afternoon,  tapped  sap- 
trees."  The  next  day,  he  " gathered  sap  in  the  forenoon;  after- 
noon, studied."  When  Sunday  came  again,  he  preached  again. 
The  following  Monday,  being  stormy,  he  "did  chores  and  read 
Alleine."  A  few  days  later,  he  was  visiting  the  sick,  and  soon 
after  that  he  was  attending  a  church  council.  In  short,  he  was 
a  self-sacrificing,  studious,  laborious,  and  mainly  self-supported, 
worthy  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  self-appointed  home  mission- 
ary on  the  frontiers.1  He  died  on  April  16,  1831. 

1  Rev.  J.  A.  Smith,  Memoir  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  D.D.,  with  Lectures, 
Plans  of  Sermons,  etc.  (Boston:  Durkee  &  Foxcroft,  1873),  pp.  10  ff. 


PART  II 
REV.  NATHANIEL  COLVER,  D.D.,  AND  HIS  DAY 


CHAPTER  I 
EARLY  LIFE  AND  TIMES 

This  Nathaniel  Colver  was  a  son  of  the  second  Baptist 
minister  of  that  name.  He  was  born  at  Orwell,  Vermont,  on 
May  10,  1794.  His  inheritance  from  his  father  was  a  good 
name,  good  ability,  the  Colver  fighting-blood  and  restlessness, 
fearlessness,  firmness,  independence,  and  eagerness  for  service 
to  mankind,  with  a  liking  for  frontier  life  and  for  frontiersmen, 
or  for  the  common  people  in  general.  From  his  mother  he 
apparently  inherited  in  particular  the  Dean-family  gift  of  natural 
eloquence. 

When  he  was  about  a  year  old,  the  family  moved  to  the 
northeastern  part  of  the  state  of  New  York,  on  to  a  farm  on  the 
bank  of  the  Champlain  River,  near  what  is  now  the  village  of 
Champlain.  At  that  time  there  were  in  two  townships  together 
only  thirteen  families.  It  was  a  wild  region,  in  the  broad  valley 
between  the  St.  Lawrence  River  on  the  north  and  the  Adirondack 
Mountains  on  the  south. 

There  the  child  Nathaniel  grew  up  into  a  strong  and  healthy 
boy,  inured  to  a  life  of  privation  and  hardship.  His  years  for 
play  were  few.  He  alone  of  the  family  being  well  and  his 
father  being  away  a  great  deal  of  the  time  preaching,  there  fell 
to  the  boy's  lot  more  than  the  usual  share  of  toil  for  one  of  his 
years,  even  on  the  frontier  where  all  boys  were  expected  to  work. 
Still,  he  had  his  pleasures  also — though  as  a  part  of  the  neces- 
sities of  the  situation — in  hunting,  trapping,  and  fishing,  which 
could  hardly  have  been  better.  Particularly  did  he  trap,  or 
help  to  trap,  the  muskrat  and  the  mink,  the  wolf  and  the  bear. 
He  also  became  very  successful  in  spearing  salmon. 

23 


24          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Then  came  another  moving  of  the  family  when  he  was  about 
fifteen  years  of  age.  This  time  it  was  southward,  what  must 
have  seemed  a  long  way,  into  the  mountainous  district  of  West 
Stockbridge,  Massachusetts.  Moreover,  mere  boy  though  he 
was,  for  some  reason  he  went  or  was  sent  ahead,  alone  and  on 
foot,  the  whole  distance  over  the  necessarily  poor  roads  or  what 
served  as  roads,  along  which  he  would  only  occasionally  see  a 
human  being  or  habitation,  but  more  often  would  see  or  hear 
wild  animals  of  various  kinds,  including  perhaps  mountain  lions, 
or  "painters,"  as  they  were  then  commonly  called,  bears,  and 
wolves. 

The  new  home  was  located,  not  at  what  is  now  called  the 
village  and  railroad  station  of  West  Stockbridge,  but  four  or 
five  miles  southwest  of  it,  in  the  westerly  part  of  what  was  then 
the  town  of  Stockbridge,  near  what  is  now  called  West  Stock- 
bridge  Center,  the  word  "town"  being  used  to  signify,  as  gen- 
erally in  New  England,  one  of  the  political  subdivisions  of  a 
county,  approximating  more  or  less  closely  a  township  in  size. 
There  his  father  preached,  and  Nathaniel  not  only  continued 
at  farm  work,  but  also  contrived  in  some  way  to  learn  the  trade 
of  tanner  and  currier,  and  perhaps  that  of  shoemaker  as  well, 
for  during  his  enlistment  in  the  War  of  1812,  when  he  had 
nothing  else  to  do,  he  made  and  repaired  shoes  for  the  soldiers. 
On  April  27,  1815,  just  before  he  was  twenty-one,  he  married 
Miss  Sally  Clark. 

The  first  great  turning-point  in  his  career  came,  however,  in 
1817  in  his  conversion  when  he  was  twenty- three  years  of  age. 
It  seems  a  little  strange  that  his  conversion  did  not  occur  many 
years  earlier,  for,  besides  the  fact  that  his  father  was  a  minister, 
his  mother  was  a  pious  woman,  who  taught  him  to  love  the 
Bible,  so  that  in  childhood  he  wept  over  the  story  of  the  cross, 
and  he  had  a  brother  Phineas  who,  at  about  the  time  that  his 
father  left  Champlain,  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church 
which  his  father  had  built  up  there.  But  when  it  came,  the 


EARLY  LIFE  AND  TIMES  25 

conversion  was  a  striking  one.  Nathaniel  had  been  to  an 
evening  meeting,  and  had  been  greatly  moved  by  it.  On 
his  way  home,  over  a  lonely  road  across  a  dark  mountain,  it 
seemed  to  him  that  he  could  go  no  farther  until  the  burden 
that  was  upon  him  had  been  removed,  and  he  turned  aside 
and  wrestled  in  spirit  all  night.  As  the  morning  light  broke 
upon  him,  he  felt  the  victory  won.1  He  was  afterward  baptized 
by  Elder  John  M.  Peck,  the  great  Baptist  pioneer  preacher 
of  Missouri,  Illinois,  and  Kentucky,  who  was  on  a  visit  to  the 
East. 

Then  the  question  arose  in  the  mind  of  Nathaniel  Colver  as 
to  what  the  Lord  would  have  him  do.  He  had  just  been  making 
plans  for  improving  his  business  of  tanning  and  shoemaking, 
apparently  intending  to  make  it  his  life-work.  Should  he  give 
that  up  and  follow  the  examples  of  his  grandfather,  his  father, 
and  his  brother,  and  become  a  minister  of  the  gospel  ?  He  felt 
that  he  could  not  do  it  because  he  did  not  have  the  talent  for  it. 
But  some  of  those  who  knew  him  better  than  he  knew  himself 
in  that  respect  thought  otherwise.  Undoubtedly  his  father  and 
mother  did,  and  were  praying  that  he  might  be  led  into  the 
ministry. 

While  the  subject  was  thus  under  consideration,  word  was 
sent,  on  a  Saturday,  to  some  member  of  the  church  at  West 
Stockbridge  Center  that  a  preacher  was  wanted  for  the  morrow 
at  Austerlitz,  a  place  of  a  few  houses  and  a  center  for  worship, 
six  or  seven  miles  across  the  mountains  and  in  the  state  of 

Another  night,  a  little  more  than  a  half  century  after  that  one,  he 
wrote  on  a  slip  of  paper  during  his  last  illness,  apparently  inspired  by  the 
recollection  of  his  experience  on  the  mountain,  and  following  his  frequent 
custom  of  expressing  himself  in  numbers: 

"Cheer  up,  my  trembling  soul,  be  strong; 
Cling  fast  to  thy  old  midnight  song. 
Though  fierce  the  conflict,  hard  the  fight, 
The  victor's  song  is  thine  tonight." 


26  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

New  York,  not  far  from  Spencertown  where  Nathaniel's  grand- 
father had  once  had  a  farm  and  lived.  Nathaniel  was  asked  to 
go.  He  said  that  he  could  not  do  it.  Finally  he  was  persuaded 
to  the  extent  that  he  agreed  to  go  and  lead  a  prayer  meeting;  but 
when  he  got  there  the  people  would  not  consent  to  that.  They 
demanded  a  sermon.  He  told  them  that  he  could  not  preach; 
that  he  did  not  have  even  a  text.  Some  one  then  suggested 
the  words:  "This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  accep- 
tation, that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners." 
That  was  enough.  Nathaniel  admitted  that  he  knew  something 
about  that,  and  he  went  ahead  and  preached  his  first  sermon. 
It  astonished  all;  and  without  consulting  him  it  was  announced 
that  he  would  preach  again  in  the  afternoon,  after  which  it  was 
announced  that  he  would  preach  in  the  evening  at  a  neighboring 
schoolhouse.  The  last  sermon  was  the  best  of  the  three.  His 
father  and  mother  were  present  at  the  last  service,  and  at  its 
close  the  father  turned  to  the  mother  and  exclaimed  with  joy: 
"Our  Nathaniel  is  a  preacher!"  After  that  Nathaniel  preached 
from  time  to  time  at  Austerlitz  and  at  other  places,  as  there 
was  occasion  for  it,  for  a  year  or  so. 

His  education  was  ample,  if  not  almost  ideal,  for  the  minis- 
terial work  in  which  he  first  engaged  and  in  which  he  continued 
for  years,  and  he  added  constantly  to  his  education  in  such  a 
way  that  by  the  time  he  was  called  on  to  fill  more  exacting 
positions  he  was  prepared  for  them.  To  begin  with,  he  was 
largely  what  is  some  tunes  called  a  man  of  one  book.  But  that 
book  in  his  case  was  the  Bible.  His  education  began  at  home, 
where  he  was  taught  by  his  parents,  and  by  his  mother  in  par- 
ticular, as  is  best  for  any  child  who  has  the  right  kind  of  mother. 
The  principal  textbook  was  the  Bible,  because,  fortunately  for 
him,  there  were  then  in  the  house  in  the  way  of  books,  as  he 
afterward  remembered  it,  only  the  family  Bible,  his  father's 
"little  Bible,"  which  his  father  took  with  him  when  he  went  to 
preach,  a  psalm  book,  a  spelling  book,  and  what  he  called  the 


EARLY  LIFE  AND  TIMES  27 

"third  part,"  without  stating  of  what.1  The  result  was  that 
when  in  1864,  six  years  before  the  close  of  his  life,  he  revisited 
the  scenes  of  his  childhood  on  the  bank  of  the  Champlain  River, 
and  reconstructed  in  his  mind  the  little  log  house  which  had 
been  his  home,  he  recalled  the  blessed  Sabbaths  which  he  had 
spent  in  it,  with  his  mother  and  with  the  family  Bible,  and  then 
wrote  in  his  diary:  "I  here  record  my  gratitude  to  God  that, 
instead  of  Sunday  School  novels,  I  was  shut  up  in  my  younger 
days  to  that  dear  old  Bible.  If  I  have  any  strength  in  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel,  to  that  mother  and  that  book  am  I 
indebted.  I  had  nothing  else  to  feed  my  mind  with,  and  so  I 
ate  up  that  Bible.  Dear,  precious  Bible!  And  dear,  precious 
mother,  who  taught  me  to  love  it!"  Then  he  mentioned  that 
his  had  been  the  lot  of  service  and  toil,  but  he  did  it  only  to  add 
that,  "In  it  all  I  can  see  the  hand  of  God,  in  his  providential 
training,  and  forming  my  body  and  mind  for  my  subsequent  life." 
While  the  family  lived  on  the  farm  in  northeastern  New 
York,  he  attended  school  for  two  winters,  which  was  all  the 
schooling  that  he  ever  got.  Beyond  that  and  what  he  was 
taught  at  home,  he  was  self-educated,  as  all  must  be  in  the  last 
analysis.  Nor  is  it  recorded  that  he  ever  lacked  the  books 
really  needed  for  study.  At  the  time  of  his  conversion  he 
wanted  to  know  the  different  doctrines,  and  borrowed  from  the 
Congregational  minister  all  the  books  that  the  latter  could  sup- 
ply him  with,  and  studied  them  well  before  making  his  final 
decision  to  join  the  Baptist  church.  It  is  also  significant  that 
while  he  was  in  the  army  he  undertook  the  defense  of  a  comrade, 
and  was  so  skilful  in  it  that  he  was  offered  an  opportunity  to 
get  a  legal  education,  which  he  did  not  accept,  perhaps  because 

1  These  may  have  been  all  of  the  books  that  he  remembered  because 
they  were  all  that  he  as  a  boy  could  very  well  read  or  study,  while  his  father 
may  have  had  some  other  books  as  well,  for  his  father  was  studious  and 
mentioned  reading  Alleine  on  a  stormy  day,  as  if  he  was  but  a  favorite 
author  of  a  man  who  had  books,  read,  and  loved  them. 


28          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

he  was  then  planning  to  get  married  or  preferred  to  follow  the 
trade  that  he  had  learned.  Moreover,  for  either  the  pulpit  or 
the  platform,  he  had  a  rare  gift  of  natural  oratory,  which  he 
knew  well  how  to  develop  and  to  make  the  most  of.1 

At  the  time  that  Nathaniel  Colver  joined  the  church  and 
entered  upon  the  ministry,  the  preaching  of  the  Baptist  ministers 
was  almost  entirely  extemporaneous,  due  largely  to  the  strong 
prejudice  which  the  people  manifested  to  written  sermons. 
Doctrinally,  the  preaching,  especially  that  of  the  ministers  of 
British  descent,  was  strongly  Calvinistic,  and  on  the  whole  was 
effective,  although  most  of  the  ministers  felt  that  they  ought 
not  to  make  direct  appeals  for  repentance,  because  that  could 
come  only  with  divine  aid.  There  were  occasional  revivals,  but 
as  a  general  thing  without  the  manner  in  which  the  meetings 
were  conducted  being  materially  changed.  Depth  of  feeling  was 
the  main  thing  sought  for,  much  dependence  being  placed  on 
the  silent  working  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  hearts  of  the  people. 

1  Rev.  J.  A.  Smith,  Memoir  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  D.D.,  with  Lectures, 
Plans  of  Sermons,  etc.,  pp.  17  ff.  Dr.  Smith,  in  seeking  to  explain  Mr. 
Colver's  religious  perplexities  at  the  time  of  his  conversion,  suggests  that 
it  might  be  that  at  West  Stockbridge  Mr.  Colver  found  himself  in  an  atmos- 
phere more  or  less  charged  with  doctrinal  controversy,  because  that  had 
been  the  home  of  Jonathan  Edwards  when  driven  from  his  pastorate  at 
Northampton,  and  that  "it  may  be  presumed  that  the  effect  of  such  a 
personality  as  that  of  Mr.  Edwards  would  continue  to  be  felt  long  after 
its  actual  presence  had  ceased,  and  that  the  minds  with  which  young 
Colver  came  most  in  contact  were  those  which  had  been  molded  under 
doctrinal  teaching  such  as  will  ever  stand  associated  with  the  name  of 
Edwards"  (ibid.,  p.  34).  Others  have  seen  in  this  an  educational  influence.. 
But  any  special  personal  influence  from  Mr.  Edwards  on  Mr.  Colver  seems 
improbable,  because  (i)  more  than  sixty  years  had  intervened;  (2)  Mr. 
Edwards  did  not  live  either  at  West  Stockbridge  or  in  the  vicinity  of  what 
is  now  known  as  West  Stockbridge  Center,  where  Mr.  Colver  lived,  but 
he  lived  at  Stockbridge;  (3)  at  Stockbridge,  Mr.  Edwards  was  not  a  preacher 
to  white  people,  but  he  was  simply  a  missionary  to  the  Housatonic  Indians, 
and  not  a  very  successful  one  at  that,  though  during  that  time  he  wrote 
several  of  his  more  important  works. 


EARLY  LIFE  AND  TIMES  29 

Where  there  were  organized  churches,  they  usually  made 
yearly  contracts  with  their  ministers,  just  as  a  man  might  make 
a  contract  for  a  farm  hand,  often  bargaining  as  closely,  and 
feeling  little  more  obligation  to  renew  their  contracts  if  there 
was  any  dissatisfaction  of  any  kind  with  the  ministers,  although 
in  those  days  the  people  were  more  concerned  about  having 
what  they  deemed  sound  preaching  than  for  any  great  numerical 
increase  in  the  church  membership.  There  was  this  difference 
also  between  their  contracts  for  ministers  and  those  for  farm 
hands,  in  that  it  sometimes  seemed  as  though  in  the  case  of  the 
former  there  was  more  often  a  failure  to  make  full  payment  of 
the  promised  amounts,  and  that  generally,  too,  without  any 
apparently  great  misgivings. 

Still,  the  ministers  were  as  a  class  exceedingly  faithful,  and 
were  usually  highly  regarded,  or  even  beloved.  They  tried 
hard  to  make  the  best  of  everything.  Churches  were  often 
formed  with  from  nine  or  ten  up  to  about  twenty  members  of 
ordinary  circumstances.  The  ministers  understood  and  approved 
of  this,  and  themselves  often  farmed  or  worked  at  various  trades 
in  order  to  make  themselves  as  little  burdensome  on  the  people 
as  possible.  When  wild  land  was  easily  acquired,  it  was  a 
common  thing  for  a  minister  to  get  enough  for  a  farm,  to  have 
the  help  of  his  neighbors  in  building  a  log  house  for  him  and  at 
a  "logging  bee"  or  log-rolling  for  clearing  the  land,  and  then  to 
leave  the  cultivation  of  the  farm  largely  to  his  sons,  of  whom 
there  were  usually  several  in  the  family.  One  did  not  hear  very 
often  in  those  days  of  ministers  quitting  what  they  deemed  their 
divine  calling  because  they  could  make  more  money  at  some- 
thing else. 

The  renting  of  pews  was  not  much  depended  on,  outside  of 
Boston,  for  the  support  of  the  ministry  and  to  defray  the  other 
expenses  of  the  church.  In  some  of  the  better  class  of  meeting- 
houses pews  were  sold  outright  and  became  the  private  property 
of  the  purchasers,  and  sometimes  those  not  sold  were  rented. 


3O          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

But  free  pews  or  benches  was  the  rule  in  Baptist  meetinghouses 
partly  because  most  of  them  were  not  finished  off  and  furnished 
on  the  inside  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  the  selling  or  the  renting 
of  pews  possible,  yet  more  likely  because  the  meetinghouses 
were  mainly  for  a  class  of  people  to  whom  the  idea  never  occurred 
of  making  pew  rents  pay  the  expenses  of  the  churches,  or 
because  the  people  were  opposed  to  it  on  principle. 

Church  discipline  in  those  days  was  very  severe,  and  con- 
tinued to  be  so  in  many  of  the  churches  for  upward  of  half  a 
century  more.  All  of  the  members  of  a  church  felt  that  it  was 
their  duty  to  watch  over  the  deportment  of  their  brethren.  The 
distinction  between  the  church  and  the  world  was  drawn 
sharply,  and  transgressions  were  reported  to,  and  acted  on,  by 
the  church.  Differences  between  brethren  must  not  be  taken 
to  the  law  for  settlement,  but  must  be  brought  before  the 
church,  and  if  a  member  sought  the  aid  of  the  courts  first,  he 
might  be  required  to  retrace  his  steps  and  to  proceed  in  what 
was  termed  the  scriptural  manner.  Expulsions  were  frequent, 
and  were  much  dreaded  in  the  earlier  days  because  they  were 
in  effect  nearly  equivalent  to  social  ostracism. 

"Elder"  was  the  title  given  to  Baptist  ministers  almost 
without  exception,1  as,  for  example,  each  Nathaniel  Colver  who 
was  a  Baptist  minister,  was  called  either  " Elder  Colver"  or 
"  Elder  Nathaniel  Colver,"  until  the  last  one  came  ultimately 
to  be  called  "Dr.  Colver,"  which  latter  designation  will  here- 
after generally  be  used  here,  although  at  first  somewhat  pre- 
maturely, to  distinguish  him  from  the  other  Colvers  and 
Nathaniel  Colvers  who  were  Baptist  ministers. 

1  David  Benedict,  Fifty  Years  among  the  Baptists  (New  York:  Shel- 
don &  Co.,  1859),  pp.  55  ff.,  166. 


CHAPTER  II 
FIRST  TWENTY  YEARS  OF  MINISTRY 

In  the  year  1819,  Dr.  Colver  entered  formally  upon  his 
life-work,  which  he  was  to  continue  for  just  fifty  years.  It  may 
be  divided  into  four  periods:  (i)  preaching  mostly  in  small 
places,  beginning  in  Vermont,  but  continued  chiefly  in  the  state 
of  New  York — twenty  years;  (2)  pastorate  in  Boston — thirteen 
years;  (3)  pastorates  principally  in  the  cities  of  Detroit,  Cin- 
cinnati, and  Chicago — approximately  thirteen  years;  (4)  inau- 
gurating theological  instruction  at  the  old  University  of  Chicago 
for  the  Baptist  Union  Theological  Seminary,  and  for  the  freed- 
men,  in  Richmond,  Virginia — four  years,  with  a  portion  of  the 
time  being  given  to  preaching  and  to  pastoral  work.1 

1  Dr.  Colver  was  pastor  of  Baptist  churches  in  the  following  places, 
at  apparently  about  the  following  dates:  West  Clarendon,  at  what  is  now 
Chippenhook,  Vermont,  1819-21;  Fort  Covington,  New  York,  1821-29; 
Kingsbury  and  Fort  Ann,  New  York,  1829-31;  perhaps  Kingsbury  and 
part  of  the  time  supplying  for  the  pastor  of  the  Bottskill  Baptist  Church,  in 
Union  Village,  now  Greenwich,  New  York,  1831-34;  Holmesburg,  now  a 
part  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  May-November,  1834;  Union  Village, 
now  Greenwich,  New  York,  November,  1834,  to  December,  1837;  Boston, 
Massachusetts  (first  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Free  Church,  afterward 
called  the  Tremont  Street  Baptist  Church,  or  better  known  as  "  Tremont 
Temple"),  1839,  to  April  4,  1852;  South  Abington,  now  Whitman,  Mas- 
sachusetts, April,  1852,  to  April,  1853;  Detroit,  Michigan  (First  Baptist 
Church),  April,  1853,  to  April,  1856;  Cincinnati,  Ohio  (First  Baptist 
Church),  probably  from  May,  1856,  to  December,  1860;  Woodstock, 
Illinois,  January-July,  1861;  Chicago,  Illinois  (Tabernacle  Baptist  Church, 
which  became  the  Second  Baptist  Church),  September  i,  1861,  to  1865, 
and  (Fifth  Baptist  Church),  1865,  to  June  13,  1867.  The  year  1838  and 
part  of  1839  Dr.  Colver  gave  mainly  to  the  cause  of  antislavery.  His 
principal  ministerial  educational  work  was  done  in  1865-68. 


32  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

It  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  at  all  times,  in  trying  to 
estimate  for  any  period  the  extent  and  importance  of  Dr.  Col- 
ver's  work,  that  he  never  confined  himself  entirely  to  his  pas- 
torates, and  a  good  portion  of  the  time  not  alone  to  preaching, 
but  made  his  pastorates  centers  from  which  he  went  out  into  the 
country  roundabout  to  deliver  his  gospel  messages  and  to  urge 
reforms.  It  is  likely,  too,  that  he  changed  his  pastorates  as 
frequently  as  he  did  mainly  to  get  into  new  fields  or  centers 
from  which  to  extend  his  influence  for  righteousness  and  reforms, 
though  possibly  sometimes  he  was  somewhat  unconsciously 
led  by  the  same  spirit  that  caused  his  New  England  fore- 
fathers to  move  so  often  to  new  places.  His  love  for  rural  life 
and  for  country  people  was  shown  by  the  fact  that  several  times, 
when  he  terminated  city  pastorates,  he  by  preference  accepted 
calls  to  smaller  and  more  rural  places,  and  when  he  held  city 
pastorates  he  was  constantly  going  out  during  the  week  to 
preach  in  the  rural  districts,  as  opportunities  presented  them- 
selves. He  never  left  a  pastorate  where  he  might  not  have 
staid  longer,  and  generally  it  was  with  great  reluctance  that 
the  best  and  the  most  of  the  church  membership  parted  with 
him.  Moreover,  fifty  years  after  his  death,  persons  were  still  to 
be  found,  in  almost  every  place  where  he  had  been  a  pastor,  who, 
either  from  personal  recollections  or  from  what  they  had  heard 
of  him,  treasured  his  memory  and  the  fact  of  his  pastorate  there. 

Dr.  Colver's  first  regular  pastorate  was  in  the  west  part  of 
the  town  of  Clarendon,  Vermont,  at  what  is  now  the  hamlet  of 
Chippenhook.  He  began  his  pastoral  work  there  in  1819,  after 
he  had  been  ordained  there  as  a  Baptist  minister  for  it.  There 
must  have  been  an  attraction  in  the  location,  which  was  about 
twenty-five  miles  southeast  of  Orwell  where  he  was  born,  and 
perhaps  eight  miles  nearer  to  Hubbardton  where  his  grandfather 
had  been  a  pastor,  while  in  character  it  was  quite  like  the 
mountainous  region  of  West  Stockbridge  Center,  Massachusetts, 
in  which  he  had  been  living. 


THE  BAPTIST  MEETINGHOUSE  IX  WEST  CLARENDON,  VERMONT,  BUILT 
IN  1793.     HORSE  SHEDS  IN  THE  REAR 


THE  BAPTIST  MEETINGHOUSE  AT  FORT  COVINGTON,  NEW  YORK, 
BUILT  IN  1827-29,  THE  STEEPLE  BEING  ADDED  LATER 


FIRST  TWENTY  YEARS  OF  MINISTRY  33 

The  Baptist  meetinghouse  in  West  Clarendon  was  a  typical 
frame  one,  which  was  very  plain.  It  was  built  about  1798. 
Some  of  the  contributors  to  the  cost  of  the  building,  who  had 
no  money,  paid  with  grain  or  cattle,  which  was  not  an  unusual 
form  of  making  payments  in  those  days.  The  door  was  on  the 
side  of  the  meetinghouse.  Inside  of  the  building  were  the  old- 
fashioned  box  pews,  a  sloping  gallery,  and  a  pulpit  with  a 
sounding-board  above  it.  At  some  time,  long  after  Dr.  Colver's 
pastorate,  the  whole  interior  of  the  house  was  remodeled.  A 
floor  was  put  in  so  as  to  make  the  building  a  two-story  one,  the 
upper  part  to  be  used  for  church  purposes,  and  the  lower  part 
for  a  town  hall.  For  entrance  to  the  church  part,  a  door  was 
cut  through  one  end  of  the  building. 

It  was  not  of  much  consequence  that  there  were  but  few 
dwelling-houses  near  the  meetinghouse.  That  part  of  Vermont 
was  settled  largely  by  people  from  Rhode  Island,  Massachusetts, 
and  Connecticut,  among  whom  were  quite  a  number  of  Baptists, 
and  they  and  almost  all  of  the  other  settlers  were  willing  to  go 
considerable  distances,  if  necessary,  to  attend  religious  services. 
Indeed,  this  church,  which  had  a  membership  of  over  one  hun- 
dred, was  relatively  much  more  important  then  than  later, 
and  was  relatively  more  important  then  than  are  many  churches 
now  which  are  apparently  much  better  situated. 

Crowds,  it  was  said,  came  to  hear  the  young  preacher. 
It  was  not,  however,  because  he  sought  to  be  popular.  It  was 
because  he  delivered  his  messages  in  a  bold,  striking  way  that 
irresistibly  drew  people  to  hear  him.  He  scorned  anything  like 
time-serving,  and  he  did  not  please  everybody.  He  was  told 
that  his  preaching  was  too  plain,  too  severe.  "  'Speak  unto  us 
smooth  things:  prophesy  unto  us  deceits,'  "  he  wrote  in  an 
article  for  the  Rutland  Herald,  "was  the  language  of  the  multi- 
tude of  old,  nor  is  the  natural  heart  at  this  day  less  averse 
to  the  heart-searching  and  sin-condemning  doctrines  of  divine 
truth.  Men  of  the  world  are  still  calling  for  'smooth  things.' 


34  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Their  language  is,"  he  continued,  in  verse  of  his  own  compo- 
sition, 

"  '  Speak  thou,  but  mind  and  shun  the  truth,  or  if 
The  truth  you  speak,  speak  that  so  smooth,  so  well 
Mix't  up  with  flattery  that  all  our 
Consciences  may  sleep.' 

"It  is  true  that  by  sliding  round  all  controverted  points  a 
minister  will  please  more  and  gather  a  larger  flock  by  whom  he 
will  be  called  a  good  shepherd;  but  he  will  not  distinguish 
between  them  that  serve  God  and  them  that  serve  him  not. 
By  so  doing  he  may  escape  the  bonds  of  Paul,  but  he  can  never, 
like  him,  say  he  has  fought  a  good  fight."1  As  for  himself, 
it  was  very  clear  from  the  first,  and  ever  afterward,  that 
Dr.  Colver  meant  to  fight  "a  good  fight,"  and  it  was  a  veritable 
fight  which  he  kept  up  throughout  his  life. 

His  restless  spirit  and  earnest  purpose  and  determination 
were  shown  in  the  termination  of  his  first  pastorate  after  two 
years,  and  shown  yet  more  distinctly  during  the  years  that  fol- 
lowed. One  might  have  supposed  that  his  first  field  of  labor 
would  have  been  large  enough  for  him  for  a  much  longer  time. 
But  during  the  second  year  he  appeared  in  northern  New  York 
and  preached  at  Fort  Covington,  which  was  a  somewhat  impor- 
tant, though  small,  village,  without  a  church  organization  of  any 
kind  in  it.  Then,  soon  after  his  return  home,  he  received  a 
letter  from  a  committee  appointed  by  citizens  of  Fort  Coving- 
ton,  in  which  they  stated  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  village 
and  its  vicinity  were  unanimous  in  their  desire  that  he  should 
come  and  settle  there  as  their  minister.  A  salary  of  four  hun- 
dred dollars  was  promised  to  him,  with  this  qualification:  "It 
is,  however,  understood  that  you  will  want  a  considerable  part 
of  this  sum  in  the  produce  of  the  country  necessary  for  the 
support  of  a  family." 

1  Rev.  J.  A.  Smith,  Memoir  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  D.D.,  pp.  40-43. 


FIRST  TWENTY  YEARS  OF  MINISTRY  35 

Dr.  Colver  saw  that  he  was  more  needed  in  that  northern 
country  than  where  he  was,  and  went  to  Fort  Covington  in 
June,  1821.  Still,  going  there  was  a  great  ordeal  for  him 
at  that  time.  His  third  son,  the  one  who  was  named 
Charles  Kendrick  Colver,  had  just  been  born  on  May  21,  and 
Mrs.  Colver  was  in  such  poor  health  generally  that  Dr.  Colver 
had  to  leave  her  and  that  child  and  the  next  older  one  at  the 
home  of  a  relative  in  Vermont.1  But  it  seemed  to  Dr.  Colver 
to  be  the  Lord's  plan  for  him,  and  he  was  ready  to  enter  on  it. 

The  new  field  was  larger  than  the  old  one,  or  one  that  could 
be  made  larger  by  going  to  the  various  surrounding  places  which 
were  like  open  doors  bidding  him  to  enter,  and  he  was  not  slow 
to  do  it.  He  traveled  mostly  on  horseback,  and  his  tall  figure, 
wrapped,  when  the  weather  was  cold,  in  a  camlet  cloak,  gathered 
about  the  waist  with  a  long  scarf  or  belt,  Dr.  Smith  says  soon 
became  a  familiar  and  a  welcome  sight  in  many  a  hamlet  and 
in  many  a  rude,  remote  dwelling. 

Another  description  given  of  Dr.  Colver  stated  that  in  the 
fall  of  1825  " a  noble-looking  man"  called,  just  on  the  edge  of  the 
evening,  at  a  public  house  in  New  Lebanon  Springs,  New  York. 
He  was  on  a  journey.  He  inquired  at  once  of  the  innkeeper  if 
there  were  any  Christians  at  that  place  who  held  evening  meet- 
ings. On  being  told  that  the  Baptists  did  whenever  they  could 
get  a  preacher,  he  announced  that  he  was  one,  and  requested 
that  the  people  be  informed  that  if  they  would  make  arrange- 
ments for  a  meeting  that  evening,  he  would  preach  to  them. 
The  necessary  notice  was  given  by  ringing  the  academy  bell, 
which  it  was  understood  meant  that  there  would  be  a  meeting  in 
the  new  Baptist  meetinghouse.  The  stranger  was  Dr.  Colver, 
and  a  large  number,  attracted  by  his  impressive  appearance  and 
manner  of  introducing  himself,  gathered  to  hear  him.  Opening 
his  Bible,  he  stated  that  he  usually  preached  without  notes,  but 

1  Some  time  during  the  following  winter  she  was  taken  with  the  chil- 
dren to  Fort  Covington;  but  she  died  there  on  February  27,  1824. 


36          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

had  concluded  to  use  them  on  that  occasion,  notwithstanding 
the  prejudice  which  he  knew  that  the  people  had  against  them. 
He  then  took  up  Christ's  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  and  illustrated 
and  explained  it  in  a  way  that  made  those  who  heard  him  think 
that  they  had  never  properly  read  it;  and  that  sermon  made  a 
more  lasting  impression  on  the  mind  of  the  narrator  of  the 
incident  than  any  other  sermon  that  he  ever  heard.1 

His  wife  having  died  the  year  before  and  left  him  with  the 
care  of  young  children,  Dr.  Colver,  on  January  25,  1825,  took 
in  marriage,  for  his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Sarah  F.  Carter,  of  Platts- 
burgh,  New  York,  a  widow  with  a  young  daughter,  Mary  B. 
Carter.  To  Mrs.  Carter  he  wrote  very  characteristically:  "In 
tendering  you  my  heart  and  hand,  though  I  think  I  can  do  it 
with  that  affection  and  those  sentiments  which  become  so  inti- 
mate a  connection,  still  it  must  be  in  subjection  to  God,  in 
whose  service  I  hope  I  have  once  dedicated  them  without 
reserve,  or  power  to  recall.  Indeed,  did  I  think  you  would  be 
unwilling  to  enlist  with  me  in  it,  I  should  feel  under  bonds  to 
desist.  With  regard  to  future  prosperity,  I  leave  it  with  an 
overruling  Providence . '  '2 

With  this  consecration  to  his  work,  it  could  not  but  prosper. 
The  meetings  at  Fort  Covington  were  held  in  the  town  house 
or  hall,  or  in  the  schoolhouse,  or  in  private  houses,  as  the  case 
might  be.  A  Baptist  church,  called  the  "Baptist  Church  of 
Christ  at  Fort  Covington,"  was  soon  organized,  that  is,  in  1821 
or  in  1822,  with  nine  members  or  with  eleven,  according  to 
different  accounts.  Finally  a  meetinghouse  was  built,  which 
was  ready  for  dedication  March  5,  1829.  Steeple  and  bell  were 
added  later.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  steeples  for  their  meeting- 
houses were  not  altogether  favored  by  the  Baptists  of  early 
times,  partly  on  account  of  the  cost,  and  partly  because  they 
were  looked  upon  as  vanities  that  were  not  in  keeping  with 

1  Rev.  J.  A.  Smith,  Memoir  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  D.D.,  pp.  44-46, 58. 

a  Ibid,  pp.  63-64. 


FIRST  TWENTY  YEARS  OF  MINISTRY  37 

proper  religious  simplicity,  or  with  the  spirit  and  teachings  of 
the  Master.1 

For  two  or  three  years  prior  to  1829,  Dr.  Colver  kept  giving 
more  and  more  of  his  time  to  outside  or  missionary  work,  on 
account  of  what  he  deemed  its  importance  and  claims  on  him. 
During  this  period  he  acted  to  some  extent  as  a  missionary  for 
the  Northern  Missionary  Convention,  even  going  into  Canada, 
and  he  was  also  appointed  an  agent  of  the  Baptist  Education 
Society  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Nor  did  the  Fort  Covington 
church  object.  On  the  contrary,  for  example,  according  to  an 
entry  made  in  its  records  for  March  31,  1827,  when  Dr.  Colver 
requested  leave  of  the  church  to  go  to  Ogdensburg  for  one  year, 
"the  church  voted  that  they  were  willing  he  should  go,  on 
considering  the  present  pressing  call  for  his  services  in  that 
place."  However,  he  does  not  appear  to  have  spent  a  whole 
year  at  Ogdensburg.2 

'The  picture  of  this  meetinghouse  shown  facing  page  33  was  made 
from  a  photograph  taken  in  the  fall  of  1919,  or  ninety  years  after  the  build- 
ing was  dedicated  by  Dr.  Colver.  At  the  side  and  at  the  rear  of  the  meet- 
inghouse are  shown  quite  extensive  horse  sheds,  which  were  very  important 
adjuncts  to  meetinghouses  when  people  went  with  teams  and  on  horseback 
long  distances,  and  in  all  kinds  of  weather,  to  attend  meetings,  often  taking 
their  lunches  or  Sunday  dinners  with  them  and  staying  for  two  services. 

2  Rev.  A.  M.  Prentice  says,  in  the  historical  discourse  which  he  delivered 
on  October  3,  1909,  at  the  observance  of  the  centennial  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  the  city  of  Ogdensburg,  New  York:  "It  has  been  stated  that 
the  first  pastor  of  this  church  was  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  a  man  of 
great  gifts,  courage,  and  efficiency.  I  would  be  very  glad  if  such  were  the 
case.  But  the  fact  is  that  he  came  and  labored  here  for  a  while  as  a  mission- 
ary, and  was  very  much  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  church,  finding 
them  in  a  very  needy  condition.  Mr.  Colver  became  pastor  at  Fort  Coving- 
ton  in  1821  and  continued  there  for  several  years,  dividing  his  time  with 
Malone.  In  view  of  the  needs  of  the  outlying  district  he  seems  to  have 

been  constrained  to  take  up  missionary  work  in  this  region It  is 

not  strange  that  Mr.  Colver's  name  should  have  become  associated  with 
the  church  as  an  early,  if  not  the  first,  pastor.  He  became  an  eminent  man 
in  the  Baptist  ministry." — 1809-1909,  Centennial  Anniversary,  October  yrd 
to  5th,  First  Baptist  Church,  Ogdensburg,  N.Y.  (Ogdensburg:  Ogdens- 
burg Advance  Co.,  1910),  pp.  5-6. 


38          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Something  of  the  great  work  that  Dr.  Colver  was  doing  is 
shown  by  a  letter  which  he  wrote  from  Ogdensburg,  New  York, 
on  July  22,  1827,  which  was  in  part  to  the  following  effect: 
"It  has  been  the  most  interesting  time  the  winter  and  spring 
past  ever  known  by  our  churches  in  this  region.  Almost  all  of 
them  have  been  refreshed.  Since  the  third  day  of  December 
last,  I  have  baptized  one  hundred  and  ninety,  who  have  will- 
ingly put  their  necks  under  the  yoke  of  Christ  in  several  of  the 
churches  around  me.  The  increase  of  our  churches  has  been 
truly  astonishing.  The  Lord  has  made  the  wilderness  to  bud 
and  blossom  as  the  rose.  In  Fort  Covington  there  was  no  church 
when  I  came  there,  and  only  two  Baptist  professors  in  town. 
Now  their  number  is  something  rising  of  one  hundred.  They 
expect  to  complete  their  meetinghouse  this  fall,  and  are  in  a 
flourishing  situation.  Many  of  our  churches  have  increased 
in  the  same  proportion.  The  church  in  Parishville  had  last 
September  but  eight  members,  and  has  now  one  hundred  and 
seven,  and  a  number  more  are  waiting  for  me  to  come 
and  baptize  them.  The  church  in  Hopkinton  has  had  about  an 
equal  increase.  I  should  delight  had  I  room  and  time  to  give 
you  a  detailed  account  of  a  work  which  has  been  the  most 
astonishingly  glorious  of  anything.  I  have  seen  convictions 
that  have  been  pungent  and  severe,  and  the  joys  of  those 
released  from  their  burden  of  sin  have  brought  out  the  praises 
of  a  Savior.  The  gray  hairs  and  the  child  of  ten  have  begun 
their  lives  anew  together.  But  I  can  give  you  no  idea  of  the 
glory  of  the  work  by  writing.  Words  are  lean.  I  can  only  say 
my  heart  has  been  melted  over  and  over  again.  Oh,  what  a 
precious  Savior  there  is  for  lost  sinners!  At  every  new  turn  of 
our  lives  we  discover  some  new  excellency  in  Jesus  Christ;  but, 
oh!  what  ill  returns  we  make  to  him  for  all  his  benefits."1 

1  This  letter,  which  shows  something  of  the  quaintness  of  Dr.  Colver's 
early  style  and  his  peculiarly  striking  illustrations  from  common,  everyday 
life,  which  always  took  hold  of  people,  was  written  to  Mr.  Lewis  Walker,  who 


FIRST  TWENTY  YEARS  OF  MINISTRY  39 

A  peculiar  situation  which  had  arisen,  involving  the  Baptist 
church  in  Kingsbury  and  that  at  Fort  Ann,  in  Washington 
County,  New  York,  and,  with  the  churches,  affecting  his  brother 
Phineas  who  had  been  their  pastor,  led  Dr.  Colver,  in  1829,  to 
sever  his  connection  with  the  church  at  Fort  Covington,  and  to 
accept  the  joint  pastorates  of  those  other  churches.  The  trouble 
originated  in  views  which  his  brother  had  expressed,  or  was 
believed  to  hold,  on  the  Sabbath  question,  in  which  his  churches 
agreed  with  him,  but  to  which  some  other  Baptist  churches 
objected.  Dr.  Colver  seemed  to  be  the  only  person  with  suffi- 
cient courage  and  power  to  face  the  difficulty  and  straighten 
things  out,  which  led  him  to  take  his  brother's  place  as  pastor 
of  the  churches.  An  entry  of  May  10,  1829,  in  the  records  of 
the  Fort  Covington  church  reads:  "Sabbath.  Voted  that  we 
earnestly  desire  Eld.  Colver  to  stay  with  us."  But  a  week  later 
the  church  voted  to  grant  the  request  of  the  Fort  Ann  and 
Kingsbury  churches;  and  on  August  i  the  church  "voted  to 
give  Eld.  Nathaniel  Colver  a  letter  of  dismissal  and  recom- 
mendation."1 

The  Baptist  church  in  the  town  of  Kingsbury  was  a  country 
church,  located  about  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  the  village  of  a 
few  houses  called  Kingsbury,  to  which  the  meetinghouse  was 
subsequently  moved.  The  church  had  nearly  forty  years  of 
history  back  of  it  when  Dr.  Colver  became  its  pastor.  It  was, 
or  it  became,  the  mother  of  three  or  four  other  Baptist  churches. 
The  "Baptist  Church  of  Christ"  at  Fort  Ann  was  a  village 


was  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  church  of  which  Dr.  Colver  had  been 
pastor  in  Vermont.  The  letter  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Walker's 
great-grandaughter,  Mrs.  F.  A.  Wilcox,  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri. 

1  Fort  Covington  is  in  Franklin  County,  and  a  recent  local  historian 
says  that  Dr.  Colver  was,  with  possibly  a  single  exception,  "the  strongest 
man  intellectually  who  ever  served  in  Franklin  County  as  a  clergyman," 
and  that  he  remained  at  Fort  Covington  eight  years,  "a  tireless  worker."— 
Frederick  J.  Seaver,  Historical  Sketches  of  Franklin  County,  New  York 
(Albany:  J.  B.  Lyon  Co.,  1918),  p.  351. 


40          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

church  about  seven  years  old.  The  two  churches  were  about 
five  or  six  miles  apart.  They  had  meetinghouses  which  they 
had  built  in  union  with  bodies  of  Christians  of  other  denomi- 
nations, to  be  used  by  the  respective  owners  in  turn  or  as  might 
be  agreed  upon,  which  made  one  minister  enough  at  that  time 
for  both  Baptist  churches.  What  gave  the  Baptist  church  in 
Kingsbury  special  importance  for  a  long  time  was  that,  while 
there  were  few  people  who  lived  anywhere  near  the  meeting- 
house, its  location  was  central  to  a  large  territory  from  which 
people  came  to  worship,  some  coming  from  five  to  fifteen  miles. 
Besides,  in  early  times  meetinghouses  were  often  built  near 
where  some  influential  member  of  the  church  lived,  or  where  a 
lot  could  be  obtained  for  it  free,  without  much  regard  to  where 
the  population  or  the  membership  was.  In  this  case  the  land 
was  leased  for  a  peppercorn  a  year,  which  was  to  be  delivered 
when  called  for. 

Some  time  in  1830,  Dr.  Colver 's  health  began  to  show  serious 
indications  of  giving  way,  and  he  took  a  trip  southward  for  a 
rest  and  a  change.  On  the  way  he  stopped  to  preach  for  a 
while  in  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  and  after  he  reached  Phila- 
delphia he  preached  a  number  of  times  in  the  First  Baptist 
Church,  for  Dr.  W.  T.  Brantly,  who  was  holding  a  series  of 
protracted  meetings.  The  two  men  were  in  the  beginning 
personally  unacquainted  with  each  other.  Dr.  Brandy's  first 
invitation  to  Dr.  Colver  to  preach  once  for  him  was  extended 
as  a  matter  of  courtesy;  but  Dr.  Colver  had  not  proceeded  far 
in  his  sermon  before  Dr.  Brantly  perceived  that  his  visitor  was 
a  preacher  of  uncommon  power,  and  by  the  time  that  the 
sermon  was  finished  pastor  and  people  were  bathed  in  tears, 
and  thanked  God  for  sending  such  a  man  to  them,  and  impor- 
tuned Dr.  Colver  to  remain  and  preach  for  them  until  the 
special  meetings  were  ended.  Moreover,  an  unusually  warm 
friendship  was  formed  between  the  two  men,  notwithstanding 
that  Dr.  Brantly  was  of  southern  extraction  and  sympathies, 


FIRST  TWENTY  YEARS  OF  MINISTRY  41 

In  the  fall  of  1831,  Dr.  Colver  returned  to  Philadelphia,  to 
help  Dr.  Brantly  again.  Afterward  he  went  to  Washington, 
and  from  there,  apparently  at  Dr.  Brantly's  instance,  he  visited 
Richmond,  Virginia.  Evidences  of  cruelty  that  he  saw  at 
Washington  and  at  Richmond  gave  to  Dr.  Colver  his  first  great 
hatred  of  slavery.  In  fact,  he  might  have  had  the  pastorate 
of  a  Baptist  church  in  Richmond,  but  he  declined  to  settle  there 
on  account  of  slavery. 

Dr.  Colver's  pastorates  in  Kingsbury  and  at  Fort  Ann 
extended  over  about  two  years,  although  he  apparently  lived  in 
Kingsbury  until  1834,  and  may  have  preached  there,  more  or 
less,  up  to  that  time.  But  about  twenty  miles  south  of  Kings- 
bury,  and,  like  it,  in  Washington  County,  was  Union  Village, 
the  name  of  which  has  since  been  changed  to  Greenwich.  That 
was  quite  an  important  place,  and  in  it  was  quite  an  important 
Baptist  church,  called  the  "Bottskill  Baptist  Church,"  a  name 
in  some  way  derived  from  that  of  the  Battenkill  River,  which 
flows  through  the  village.  Various  dates,  such  as  1767,  1774, 
and  1775,  have  been  given  as  that  of  the  organization  of  the 
church.  Its  pastor  since  1794  had  been  Elder  Edward  Barber, 
who,  by  reason  of  age  and  infirmity,  had  come  to  need  a  strong 
helper,  if  not  a  man  to  take  his  place,  and  Dr.  Colver  was 
induced  to  come  a  part  of  the  time  to  his  aid,  which  he  did  for 
two  or  three  years.  It  has  been  stated  that  Dr.  Colver  might 
have  had  the  pastorate,  but  refused  to  accept  it  while  Elder 
Barber  lived. 

Then,  in  1834,  Dr.  Colver  was  prevailed  on,  largely  through 
the  efforts  of  Dr.  Brantly,  to  accept  the  pastorate  of  the  Baptist 
church  at  Holmesburg,  Pennsylvania,  then  a  suburb  ten  miles 
north  of  Philadelphia  and  now  within  the  city  limits.  As  a 
result,  he  preached  quite  often  also  in  Philadelphia.  During 
that  pastorate,  one  of  the  most  competent  members  of  the 
church  to  judge,  on  being  asked  how  his  pastor  was  doing, 
replied:  "Better  and  better.  He  has  just  been  preaching  a 


42  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

number  of  most  interesting  sermons  from  the  same  text.  Hav- 
ing finished  on  Sunday  before  last,  he  said  last  Sunday  that  he 
would  gather  up  the  fragments,  and  the  sermon  of  fragments 
was  the  most  wonderful  of  them  all."  That  pastorate,  however, 
lasted  but  from  May  to  November,  on  account  of  the  death  of 
Elder  Barber  and  a  call  from  the  Bottskill  Baptist  Church  to 
become  its  pastor  which  Dr.  Colver  was  unable  to  refuse. 

A  historian  of  the  town  of  Greenwich  says  that  in  early  days 
there  had  been  a  large  influx  of  Rhode  Island  colonists  into  the 
town,  from  which  the  Bottskill  Baptist  Church  was  subsequently 
organized.  The  men  who  formed  the  church  were  men  before 
whose  sturdy  strokes  the  forests  fell,  who  braved  the  dangers  of 
pioneer  life  with  steady  persistence,  and  who  put  into  their 
church  relationship  the  same  earnestness  that  characterized 
them  in  their  secular  affairs;  and  its  activities  thus  became  a 
component  part  of  the  history  of  the  town.  The  organizations 
which  have  contributed  the  most  to  the  moral  well-being  of 
society  in  the  town  have  been  its  churches  and  primarily  the 
Bottskill  Baptist  Church.  While  in  the  history  of  that  church 
there  may  be  incidents  which  will  cause  a  smile  from  their 
quaintness,  or  a  sigh  and  a  tear  from  their  illiberality,  there 
is  one  feature  of  its  past  that  stands  out  prominently  and 
entitles  it  to  unqualified  respect:  Bottskill  Baptist  Church  never 
shrank  from  the  performance  of  disagreeable  duties.  Mistaken 
and  unjust,  it  may  sometimes  have  been;  weak  and  vacillating, 
it  has  never  been.  People  respect  and  admire  strength  of 
principle  and  purpose,  and  this  church  grew  in  numbers  from 
strong  adherence  to  the  rigid  morality  of  the  Bible. 

Coming  to  "  Elder  Nathaniel  Colver,"  the  historian  says  that 
he  was  "  a  man  of  excellent  powers  of  mind  and  strong  convic- 
tions, who,  with  the  church,  took  advanced  ground  on  the 
questions  of  slavery  and  intemperance.  So  high  did  the  excite- 
ment run  that  from  1834  to  1837  the  church  edifice  itself  suffered 
damage  from  missiles,  and  it  is  stated  that  Elder  Colver,  in 


FIRST  TWENTY  YEARS  OF  MINISTRY  43 

defense  of  his  principles,  did  not  hesitate  in  the  exercise  of 
muscular  Christianity.  His  pastorate  closed  January  i,  1838, 
leaving  the  church  strong  and  vigorous." 

From  meetings  called  and  held  by  Dr.  Colver  and  Dr.  Hiram 
Corliss,  a  physician  who  was  one  of  the  strongest  of  the  tem- 
perance and  the  antislavery  agitators  in  the  community,  sprang 
the  intense  feeling  on  the  slavery  question  which  made  the  town 
of  Greenwich  noted  throughout  the  land  as  a  prominent  station 
on  the  line  of  march  toward  Canada  and  freedom  which  was 
known  as  the  underground  railway.  Many  slaves  who  were 
concealed  in  the  town  were  tracked  by  their  owners;  but  not 
one  that  reached  this  point  was  ever  taken  back  into  slavery. 
The  movement  carried  with  it  the  best  element  of  the  town's 
population.1 

Dr.  Colver's  preaching  at  that  time  was  described  as 
strongly  doctrinal,  yet  vividly  practical  and  telling;  earnest 
and  unsparing,  yet  tender  and  pleading,  which,  while  it  drew 
about  him  a  throng  of  intelligent  hearers,  was  effectual  in  con- 
versions to  an  extraordinary  degree,  so  that  during  the  time 
that  he  was  with  the  Bottskill  Baptist  Church,  first  relieving 
Elder  Barber,  and  then  as  pastor,  in  all  upward  of  six  years, 
he  baptized  according  to  some  statements,  nearly  seven  hundred 
persons.2 

1  Elisha  P.  Thurston,  History  of  the  Town  of  Greenwich  from  the  Earliest 
Settlement  to  July  4,  1876  (Salem,  N.Y.:  H.  D.  Morris,  1876),  pp.  19,  23  ff., 
44,  71.    As  an  example  of  the  disciplinary  actions  of  the  church,  one  of 
ten  cases  considered  when  the  church  was  in  conference,  on  April  29,  1837, 
may  be  taken.    It  was  the  case  of  a  sister,  concerning  which  the  record  was 
made  that  "a  letter  was  presented  from  her  partially  acknowledging  her 
faults,  and  requesting  a  letter.    The  letter  was  unsatisfactory,  and  the 
clerk  was  directed  to  notify  her  that  she  is  required  personally  to  renew  her 
covenant  with  the  church,  and  if  she  has  a  difficulty  with  any  member  of 
the  church  (as  her  letter  intimates),  she  must  take  the  method  to  settle 
it;  or  withdraw  it."    The  church  voted  five  hundred  dollars  for  the  pastor's 
salary  for  a  year. 

2  A  later  pastor  of  the  Bottskill  Baptist  Church  said:    "Nathaniel 
Colver  was  pastor  here  a  few  years,  and  did  splendid  work.    It  was  a  time 


44          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

According  to  the  records  of  the  church,  Dr.  Colver  requested 
in  October,  1837,  to  be  relieved  of  the  pastoral  charge  of  the 
church,  which  was  not  done;  and  again,  in  December,  he  "pre- 
sented his  request  for  dismission,  with  the  reasons,  which  were 
that  he  felt  it  pressed  upon  him  to  devote  himself  for  a  time  at 
least  to  plead  the  cause  of  the  slave,"  in  view  of  which  he  was 
released,  on  December  30.  Still,  the  church  kept  hoping  that 
he  would  return,  and  kept  the  way  open  for  it,  until,  in  April, 
1839,  the  church  passed  a  resolution  which  stated  that  the  cause 
of  truth  and  the  good  of  the  church  required  that  he  should 
comply  with  the  request  of  the  church,  "and  settle  with  us  as 
our  pastor,  and  to  this  decision  we  do  unhesitatingly  and  yet 
most  affectionately  advise  him."  Most  men,  and  rightly,  too, 
if  they  had  been  in  his  place  would  have  wanted  nothing  better 
than  to  have  remained  with  such  a  church,  where  the  previous 
pastor  had  spent  his  entire  life  of  service  of  twoscore  years. 
But  Dr.  Colver  could  not  be  content  to  stay  anywhere  when 
what  he  thought  was  a  greater  need  called  him  elsewhere.  He 
always  wanted  to  be  doing  the  most  that  he  could,  and  doing 
what  he  could  where  it  would  count  for  the  most.  Nor  did  the 
passing  years  cause  him  soon  to  be  forgotten  by  the  Bottskill 
Baptist  Church,  for  nearly  three  decades  after  he  finished  his 
labors  with  it,  or  near  the  close  of  the  year  1866,  he  was  recalled 
to  preach  the  dedicatory  sermon  for  its  new  meetinghouse. 

The  preaching  of  the  gospel  was  always  the  main  thing  with 
Dr.  Colver,  although  he  joined  more  or  less  closely  with  it  work 
for  reforms,  and  later  for  ministerial  education.  Even  when  he 
was  giving  his  attention  for  a  time  principally  to  one  of  these, 
he  still  found  plenty  of  opportunity  for  preaching. 


of  great  ingathering,  and  he  probably  gathered  in  about  all  that  could  be 
reached  at  that  time,  and  then  went  to  other,  larger  fields,  where  his  great 
gifts  could  be  utilized.  Dr.  Colver  was  popular  and  evangelical." — Rev. 
Thomas  Cull,  "Introductory  Sermon,"  Minutes  of  the  Eighty-third  Annual 
Meeting  of  the  Washington  Union  Baptist  Association  with  the  Bottskill 
Baptist  Church,  Greenwich,  N.Y.,  June  5-6,  1917. 


FIRST  TWENTY  YEARS  OF  MINISTRY  45 

The  cause  of  temperance  he  took  up  while  he  was  located  at 
Fort  Covington,  and  all  through  his  life  he  delivered  many 
telling  blows  for  it.  He  was  very  much  ahead  of  his  times  in 
that  matter  and  was  an  important  factor  in  helping  to  create 
the  early  sentiment  in  this  country  in  its  favor.  That  he  made 
many  bitter  enemies  by  it  at  a  time  when  drinking  and  the  liquor 
traffic  were  deemed  more  than  halfway  respectable  did  not  make 
him  hesitate,  but  rather  spurred  him  on.  He  never  seemed  to 
know  anything  of  personal  fear. 

Near  the  close  of  his  Fort  Covington  pastorate,  he  also 
enlisted  in  the  anti-secret-society  movement  which  was  then 
sweeping  over  several  states,  and  over  New  York  State  in 
particular.    It  had  largely  a  political  aspect,  yet  it  was  also 
taken  up  very  seriously  by  many  of  the  churches.     With  regard 
to  his  position,  Dr.  Colver  once  said:   "I  speak  as  an  investi- 
gator, not  as  a  witness.    The  revelation  of  secrets  is  not  my 
business.    My  means  of  knowing  may  be  enjoyed  in  common 
by  other  citizens.    I  take  the  thing  as  I  find  it.    A  fair  and 
candid  investigation  can  do  it  no  harm,  if  it  is  right;  if  wrong, 
it  must  bide  its  time."    And  to  the  members  of  the  secret  society 
he  said:  "I  owe  you  no  possible  ill  will.    Your  best  good  is  the 
sincere  desire  of  my  heart."    But  when  the  mere  announcement 
of  his  subject  beforehand  caused  great  excitement  and  unusual 
crowds  gathered,  apparently  to  overawe  him,  he  said:    "My 
purpose  was  exceedingly  simple.    I  merely  intended  to  show 
that  it  was  such  a  brotherhood,  such  a  yoking  with  unbelievers, 
as  is  incompatible  with  the  relations  and  duties  of  a  disciple  of 
Christ.     For  its  friends  to  fret,  or  scold,  or  threaten  is  all  labor 
lost.     If  trepidation,  or  excited  severity  is  anticipated,  that 
expectation  will  be  disappointed.     I  shall  neither  be  angered  nor 
alarmed,  but  go  steadily  and  kindly  forward  to  the  end  proposed. 
Consider,  I  pray  you,  the  responsibility  of  my  station.    My 
way  is  not  of  my  own  choosing.    The  young  men  of  my  church 
and  congregation  are  committed  to  my  care;  and  it  is  a  matter 


46  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

with  which  I  may  not  trifle.  The  minister  of  Jesus  Christ  is 
under  oath  to  his  Lord;  and  woe  be  to  him  when,  for  sinister 
ends,  for  the  sake  of  name,  quiet,  or  any  other  selfish  considera- 
tions, he  shrinks  from  a  faithful  discharge  of  his  duty.  Woe 
be  to  him  when  he  fails  to  abide  the  truth,  or  to  declare  the 
whole  counsel  of  God." 

But,  outside  of  his  preaching  and  of  the  work  which  he  did 
in  his  last  years  for  ministerial  education,  Dr.  Colver  is  best 
known  for  what  he  did  as  an  abolitionist.  Antislavery  kept 
claiming  more  and  more  of  his  attention,  and  he  felt  its  increas- 
ing importance,  until  finally  he  gave  the  year  1838  and  part  of 
that  of  1839  nominally  all  to  it,  but  still  preaching  here  and 
there  as  he  found  opportunity  to  do  so.  A  portion  of  that  time 
he  labored  under  the  auspices  of  the  American  Antislavery 
Society,  but  he  did  most  of  his  work  for, reforms  independently 
of  any  organization,  or  in  connection  with  his  church  work,  and 
with  total  indifference  as  to  whether  he  was  given  any  credit 
for  it  or  not.  The  field  for  that  particular  year  and  more  of 
service  and  warfare  was  practically  the  whole  of  New  England 
and  perhaps  a  part  of  New  York  State.  Moreover,  warfare 
it  was  in  reality,  and  not  merely  as  a  figure  of  speech.  In  it, 
Dr.  Colver  met  with  many  thrilling  experiences.  The  mob  spirit 
was  at  its  worst,  and  he  was  mobbed  and  vilified.  But  no  man 
could  deal  with  a  mob  better  than  he,  who  knew  no  fear,  who 
had  an  eye  that  could  check  wrath,  who  had  great  presence  of 
mind  and  tact,  so  that  he  invariably  came  out  all  right. 


THE  FIRST  TREMONT  TEMPLE,  BOSTON,  IN  1843 


THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH  AT  HOLMESBURG,  NOW  A  PART  OF 
PHILADELPHIA,  PENNSYLVANIA 


CHAPTER  III 
BOSTON  OR  TREMONT  TEMPLE  PASTORATE 

In  the  course  of  one  of  his  tours,  in  1838,  in  which  he  worked 
for  the  abolition  of  slavery,  Dr.  Colver  visited  Boston  and 
spoke  at  the  Capitol  and  at  Marlboro  Chapel.  Among  those 
who  went  to  hear  him  were  certain  Baptists  of  the  city,  who 
were  also  very  anxious  to  have  slavery  abolished.  Dr.  Colver 
greatly  interested  them  both  by  his  views  and  by  his  sturdy 
personality.  They  felt  at  once  that  he  was  a  born  leader  such 
as  they  needed  in  that  great  center  for  a  somewhat  new  form  of 
Baptist  church  and  work.  They  talked  matters  over  among 
themselves  and  with  him  and  became  convinced  of  it,  although, 
while  he  from  the  first  heartily  favored  their  general  idea  and 
was  ready  to  help  it  along  all  he  could  otherwise,  he  hesitated 
about  becoming  its  standard-bearer.  But  he  finally  agreed  that, 
if  they  would  organize  a  Baptist  church  with  free  seats  and 
particularly  opposed  to  intemperance  and  to  slavery,  and  if  then 
the  church  called  him  to  become  its  pastor,  he  would  accept  the 
call.  However,  it  took  nearly  a  year,  with  some  personal  work 
and  a  period  of  preaching  by  Dr.  Colver,  before  enough  persons 
were  sufficiently  united  and  heartened  for  the  undertaking. 

It  is  easy  to  be  seen  that  Dr.  Colver  was  peculiarly  fitted 
by  nature  and  by  training  to  be  the  pastor  of  just  such  a  church 
and  to  make  a  success  of  it.  His  importance  to  the  enterprise 
can  hardly  be  overestimated.  It  required  a  man  for  the  pulpit 
who  was  a  lover  of  the  people,  one  who  could  reach  and  move 
the  masses,  a  man  of  courage  sufficient  for  those  troublous 
times,  a  man  of  imagination  and  of  no  little  ability  as  an  orator, 
a  reformer  as  well  as  a  preacher,  all  of  which  essentials  were  to 

47 


48  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

be  found  in  happy  combination  in  him.  It  must  also  be  remem- 
bered that  he  had  already  had  twenty  years  of  practical  expe- 
rience with  churches  of  all  grades,  and  with  audiences  of  all 
kinds,  and  with  mankind  in  general.  He  had  attained  very 
nearly  to  the  maturity  of  his  powers  and  had  overcome  the 
early  disadvantages  under  which  he  had  labored,  or  he  was 
otherwise  compensated  for  them. 

Looking  back  over  the  history  of  Tremont  Temple,  which 
was  the  outgrowth  or  development  of  the  First  Free  Baptist 
Church  of  Boston,  as  it  was  originally  called,  and  seeing  its 
three  destructive  fires  and  financial  struggles  of  three-quarters 
of  a  century,  one  must  realize  that  for  its  ultimate  success  it 
was  necessary  that  during  Dr.  Colver's  pastorate  there  should 
be  more  than  satisfactory  accomplishment  for  the  time  being. 
It  was  as  essential  that  good  foundations  be  laid  and  demon- 
strations made  of  the  value  and  practicability  of  the  general 
plan,  in  order  to  take  such  a  hold  on  men's  minds  that  for  more 
than  two  generations  afterward,  with  good  succeeding  pastors, 
they  would  not  let  the  enterprise  die,  but  would  be  willing  to 
make  almost  any  personal  sacrifice  to  see  it  perpetuated, 
although  beset  by  great  discouragements. 

Nor  was  it  without  some  sacrifice  on  his  part  that  Dr.  Colver 
cast  in  his  lot  with  the  First  Free  Baptist  Church  of  Boston. 
The  only  advantages  that  he  could  count  on  gaining  were  in 
being  able  to  help  establish  an  important  new  Baptist  church 
and  to  get  for  himself  a  new  and  somewhat  different  field  in 
which  to  labor,  while  he  had  been  having  one  about  as  large  as 
he  could  well  travel  over.  His  going  to  Boston  was  never  of 
any  real  financial  benefit  to  him.1  It  cost  more  to  live  there 

1  Deacon  Timothy  Gilbert  became  the  leader  of  the  Baptists  in  Boston 
who  desired  the  establishment  of  this  church  and  co-operated  in  its  organi- 
zation and  subsequent  maintenance.  He  was  a  manufacturer  of  piano- 
fortes, the  dominant  objects  of  whose  life  seemed  to  be  to  do  as  much  as 
he  could  toward  providing  in  Boston,  particularly  for  strangers  and  the 


BOSTON  OR  TREMONT  TEMPLE  PASTORATE  49 

than  in  a  smaller  place,  and  he  could  no  longer  have  a  farm  or 
garden.  Besides,  the  Bottskill  Baptist  Church,  which  was  very 
anxious  to  have  him  return  to  it  and  repeatedly  urged  him  to 
do  it  until  his  actual  settlement  in  Boston,  asked  him  to  state 
what  salary  he  wanted. 

In  a  historical  sketch  prepared  by  Mr.  Charles  L.  Jeffrey,  it 
is  said  that  the  Tremont  Temple  Baptist  Church  had  its  incep- 
tion in  a  desire  on  the  part  of  several  devoted  Baptist  brethren, 
who  met  on  July  26,  1838,  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Thomas 
Gould,  to  establish  a  Baptist  free  church  in  the  city  of  Boston. 
A  committee,  representing  the  six  Baptist  churches  in  Boston, 
was  appointed  to  plan  for  future  procedure.  Two  weeks 
later  the  committee  reported  a  form  of  association  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  a  Baptist  free  church,  "it  being 
understood  that  all  who  make,  sell,  or  use  intoxicating  drinks, 
and  all  who  practice  slavery,  or  justify  it,  shall  be  excluded  from 


masses,  a  Baptist  place  of  worship  very  much  of  the  character  taken  on 
by  the  First  Free  Baptist  Church,  with  free  seats  and  strong  for  temperance 
and  the  abolition  of  slavery;  and,  by  other  means,  to  do  his  utmost  toward 
helping  to  secure  freedom  for  the  slaves.  He  came  to  be,  in  many  respects, 
Dr.  Colver's  foremost  helper  in  the  church.  He  especially  bent  his  back  to 
the  financial  burdens  of  the  church  and  the  Temple  enterprise,  which  would 
have  dismayed  or  crushed  almost  anyone  else,  and  he  helped  to  carry  them 
through  many  long  years  to  a  point  from  which  ownership  of  the  valuable 
Tremont  Temple  property  free  from  debt  was  ultimately  to  be  obtained. 
But  his  biographer,  Dr.  Justin  D.  Fulton,  who  was  the  pastor  of  the  Tremont 
Temple  Baptist  Church  from  about  1863  to  1873,  says  of  Deacon  Gilbert 
that  "in  the  support  of  a  pastor  he  had  peculiar,  and,  we  think,  erroneous 

views He  believed  that  the  Temple  could  never  be  a  resort  for 

the  rich.    He  therefore  acted  upon  the  principle  that  it  must  be  made  the 

home  for  the  very  poor This  caused  him  to  feel  that  the  salary  of 

the  pastor  should  never  exceed  a  thousand  dollars,  and  that  the  residue 
should  be  provided  for  by  voluntary  contributions."  Yet  at  some  time 
Dr.  Colver's  salary  was  apparently  increased  to  $1,200,  and  at  a  later  date 
a  further  small  increase  in  it  was  made,  when  Deacon  Gilbert  wrote  to 
Dr.  Colver:  "I  have  frequently,  and  that  recently,  said  that  you  deserved 
a  large  salary,  as  much  and  more  than  any  of  the  ministers  in  the  city;  for 


SO          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

the  church  and  its  communion."  At  a  general  meeting,  held 
on  January  31,  1839,  resolutions  were  adopted  in  favor  of  the 
free-seat  plan  and  pledging  the  church  to  the  same  doctrines 
and  sentiments  as  those  of  other  Baptist  churches.  "Rev. 
Nathaniel  Colver  closely  identified  himself  with  this  Christian 
movement."  The  organization  of  the  church,  with  eighty- two 
members  from  the  six  Baptist  churches  of  the  city,  was  com- 
pleted on  Sunday  evening,  April  21,  1839,  at  Baldwin  Place. 
The  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr.  Colver.  On  September  n, 
1839,  Dr.  Colver  was,  with  appropriate  services,  installed  as 
pastor  of  the  church.1 

What  was  meant  by  the  name  "First  Free  Baptist  Church" 
was  a  Baptist  church  having  free  seats,  which  any  and  all 
persons  who  wished  to  do  so  might  come  and  occupy.  The 
other  Baptist  churches  of  Boston,  in  common  with  most  of  the 


no  one  that  had  even  two  thousand  dollars  gave  away  as  much  as  you  did, 
and  did  not  entertain  so  many  of  the  poor  ministers  from  the  country, 
....  but  I  never  thought  your  salary  should  have  been  raised  above 
$1,200."  Dr.  Fulton  says  further  of  Deacon  Gilbert  that,  "in  religious  as  in 

other  matters,  he  was  exacting,  and  so  became  a  trial  to  his  pastor 

He  could  not  understand  the  necessity  which  makes  it  imperative  for  a  minis- 
ter to  seek  recreation  in  other  pursuits.  Dr.  Colver  had  an  inventive  genius, 

and  was  fond  of  tools Deacon  Gilbert  had  little  or  no  sympathy 

with  these  pursuits,  and  would  quite  likely  inquire  as  to  the  condition  of 
some  sick  sister  or  some  inquiring  soul,  when  the  pastor  was  in  a  glow  over 
some  new  invention;  thus  rebuking  him  in  his  quiet  and  provoking  way 
for  neglect.  Indeed,  to  such  an  extent  did  this  disposition  lead  him  that, 
in  consequence  of  it,  more  than  all  else,  was  the  first  pastor  of  the  Tremont 

Street  Church  [Dr.  Colver]  led  to  resign  [in  1852] But  he  never 

did  and  he  never  could  have  succeeded  without  the  help  of  his  giant 
brother,  who  toiled  and  rested.     Deacon  Gilbert  did  not  appreciate  this 
fact,  and  so  worried  the  life  and  disturbed  the  peace  of  his  pastor.  "- 
Justin  D.  Fulton,  Memoir  of  Timothy  Gilbert  (Boston:    Lee  &  Shepard, 
1866),  pp.  177-79,  J82. 

1  Charles  L.  Jeffrey,  Pastor's  Assistant  [to  Rev.  P.  S.  Henson,  D.D.], 
Historical  Sketch  of  Tremont  Temple  Baptist  Church  (Boston:  1906),  pp.  1-3. 


BOSTON  OR  TREMONT  TEMPLE  PASTORATE  51 

other  churches  of  the  city,  rented  their  pews,  depending  on 
the  income  therefrom  to  pay  their  expenses.  But  here  rich  and 
poor  were  to  meet  on  an  equality,  as  far  as  seats  were  concerned. 
Nor  was  there  any  corner  set  apart,  in  a  gallery,  for  colored 
people,  as  was  usually  the  case  in  other  churches  at  that  time. 
Another  special  feature  of  this  church  was  that  temperance  and 
antislavery,  and  other  important  reforms,  might  be  freely 
advocated  from  its  pulpit,  which  became  not  only  a  powerful 
one  religiously,  but  also  a  Christian  center  for  the  discussion 
of  vital  moral  and  civic  questions.  The  name  became  quite 
generally  changed  in  use  to  "First  Baptist  Free  Church,"  but, 
being  still  often  mistaken  to  mean  a  free-will  Baptist  church,  or 
one  practicing  open  communion,  it  was  finally  changed  to 
Tremont  Street  Baptist  Church,  without  the  character  of  the 
church  being  in  any  way  changed. 

Boston  in  1839  was  not  the  city  that  it  is  today.  For  one 
thing,  it  was  much  smaller  then  than  it  is  now.  On  February  i, 
1839,  there  were  but  180  street  lamps  in  use.  The  city 
directory  for  that  year  contained  16,737  names,  and  the  total 
population  was  not  far  from  92,000.  Stagecoaches  were  still 
principally  depended  on  for  public  overland  travel,  the  directory 
giving  two  and  one-half  pages  to  a  list  of  them.  It  also  listed 
separately  "People  of  Color,"  in  number  something  over  two 
hundred,  while  it  was  estimated  that  there  were  in  the  city 
upward  of  two  thousand  colored  persons,  all  told. 

But  if  Boston  was  no  larger  then,  it  was  nevertheless  very 
important  as  a  center  for  the  promotion  of  ideas  and  the  radi- 
ation of  influence.  Besides,  being  no  larger  than  it  was,  and 
with  fewer  and  smaller  newspapers  and  less  of  other  printed 
matter  than  it  has  now  to  usurp  the  attention  and  to  mold 
public  opinion,  it  was  by  so  much  the  more  open  and  sensitive 
to  public  addresses.  Indeed,  the  ten-year  period  from  1840 
has  been  stated  to  have  been  the  most  important  one  in  some 
respects  of  any  in  the  city's  history.  Moreover,  that  Boston 


52  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

was  then  a  particularly  good  place  for  a  church  to  have  free 
seats  is  shown  by  the  character  of  the  population,  as  indicated 
by  the  statement  in  the  city  directory  issued  in  1846  that  there 
were  then  in  the  city  about  11,000  dwelling-houses,  occupied  by 
19,037  families,  of  which  15,774  did  their  own  household  work. 

This  directory  also  furnishes  the  interesting  information  that 
in  1846  the  number  of  the  clergy  in  Boston  was  seventy-five; 
that  the  amount  of  their  salaries  was  $102,510;  that  church 
music  cost  $26,000;  that  the  other  expenses  of  public  worship 
were  $42,601;  and  that  it  might  be  safely  estimated  that  the 
whole  amount  annually  paid  in  Boston  for  the  support  of  reli- 
gious worship  was  not  less  than  $200,000. 

At  about  the  time  that  Dr.  Colver  settled  in  Boston,  in  the 
latter  part  of  1839,  there  were  in  the  whole  state  of  Massachu- 
setts 210  Baptist  churches,  with  a  total  membership  of  23,684. 
Of  the  churches  there  were  127  having  less  than  100  members 
each;  61,  with  from  100  to  200  members  each;  12,  with  from 
200  to  300  members  each;  2,  with  from  300  to  400  members 
each;  5,  with  from  400  to  500  members  each;  and  3,  with  from 
600  to  700  members  each.1 

In  April,  1840,  the  American  Baptist  Antislavery  Con- 
vention, of  which  Dr.  Colver  was  one  of  the  guiding  spirits,  was 
organized  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  he  was  made  the  chair- 
man of  the  executive  committee.  In  June,  of  the  same  year, 
he  was  sent,  as  a  delegate  both  of  the  convention  and  of  the 
Massachusetts  Abolition  Society,  to  the  World's  Antislavery 
Convention  in  London.  There,  early  in  the  proceedings,  he 
was  called  on  to  speak,  without  any  previous  notice,  before 
many  of  the  world's  great  men,  and  he  did  it  with  such  marked 
effect  that  it  gave  him  large  influence  in  the  convention.  For 
one  thing,  while  he  felt  that  he  could  not  maintain  church 
fellowship  with  slaveholders,  he  opposed  and  was  able  to  defeat 

1  The  Thirty-eighth  Report  of  the  Massachusetts  Baptist  Convention,  Pre- 
sented by  the  Board  of  Directors  at  the  Anniversary  in  Boston,  May  28,  1840. 


BOSTON  OR  TREMONT  TEMPLE  PASTORATE  53 

a  resolution  that  was  strongly  supported  which  declared  that  a 
slaveholder  could  not  be  a  Christian.  After  the  convention 
was  over,  he  spent  several  months  in  preaching  in  different  parts 
of  England;  and  particularly  in  Birmingham  did  traces  of  his 
power  in  "handling  the  Word"  long  remain.  He  also  delivered 
some  telling  blows  for  temperance.  On  one  occasion,  at  a 
banquet,  he  declared  that  slavery  was  no  more  the  besetting  sin 
of  America  than  was  intemperance  that  of  England.  On  his 
return  to  Boston  he  was  splendidly  welcomed  by  his  church 
and  by  the  public. 

Dr.  Colver's  next  specially  notable  efforts  to  aid  in  bringing 
about  the  aboliton  of  slavery  were  directed  to  helping  hold  true 
to  that  cause  the  national  missionary  organizations  of  the 
denomination;  after  which  separate  societies  were  formed  by 
the  Baptists  of  the  South.  The  matter  first  became  acute  in 
1841,  with  reference  to  the  management  of  the  foreign-mission 
convention  or  organization,  after  some  members  of  the  governing 
board  had  been  given  Southern  votes,  at  Baltimore,  on  the 
strength  of  a  statement  intended  to  allay  opposition,  and  after 
other  endeavors  had  been  made  by  the  compromising  element 
to  please  the  South,  in  which  Dr.  Colver  felt  that  truth  and 
righteousness  had  been  sacrificed,  leading  him  to  write  a  review 
of  the  case. 

In  his  review  he  said,  among  many  other  things,  that  "in 
the  Baltimore  transaction  they  have  chained  the  foreign  mission 
organization  to  the  giant  sin  of  American  slavery.  They  have 
labored  to  hide  the  chain  in  the  abundance  of  their  circum- 
locutory phrase,  but  the  South  have  uncovered  it,  that  they 
may  gaze  upon  its  beauty,  and  the  North  are  seeing  and  will 
see  it,  and  God  sees  it,  and  God  will  sink  them  both  together, 

unless  that  chain  is  broken Now  what  is  the  object  of 

this  labored  obscurity?  It  may  not  be  mine  to  say;  but, 
certainly  it  affords  a  great  facility  for  the  different  parties 
who  have  coalesced  in  it  to  give  it  a  Northern  or  a  Southern 


54          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

interpretation,  as  best  suits  their  convenience."  Or,  as  he 
expressed  it,  in  the  verse  which  it  required  no  effort  for  him 
to  write: 

"Chameleon-like,  '  'tis  black,  'tis  green'— 
As  by  the  South  or  North  'tis  seen, 
And,  hence,  its  Northern  friends  deny 
The  hue  it  wears  to  Southern  eye." 

Taking  up  the  question,  "What  can  and  ought  abolitionists 
to  do?"  Dr.  Colver  continued:  "Can  they  consistently  act 
through  the  present  board,  while  things  remain  as  they  now 
are?  ....  Those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  facts  of  this 
case  cannot.  However  much  they  may  love  the  cause  of  mis- 
sions, they  cannot.  They  cannot  consent  to  the  crushing  of 
the  poor  slaves,  nor  to  the  enslaving  of  the  churches,  to  procure 
from  the  hand  of  slaveholders  the  fruits  of  the  unpaid  toil  of  the 
slaves,  who  are  heathenized  at  home  for  the  purpose  of  sending 
the  gospel  to  the  heathen  abroad I  insist  upon  resig- 
nation, because  to  repudiate  the  compromise  and  still  retain 
their  position  would  be  unjust  to  the  South.  It  would  be 
taking  back  the  price  of  those  votes  and  funds  without  restoring 
their  equivalent.  However  wrong  the  South  may  be  in  setting 
so  terrible  a  price  upon  their  co-operation,  yet,  so  far  as  I  am 
concerned,  they  have  a  right  to  insist  upon  it,  and  it  would  be 
wrong  to  seek  to  avoid  their  exaction  by  fraud.  It  would  be 
unjust  for  the  signers  of  that  document  to  take  advantage  of 
their  own  wrong.  The  honor  of  Christ  and  the  precepts  of  the 
gospel  alike  forbid  the  Christian,  ever,  or  under  any  circum- 
stances, or  for  any  end,  either  to  descend  to  fraud,  or  to  invade 
the  personal  rights  of  any  individual,  even  the  most  vile." 

With  regard  to  his  own  personal  feelings  toward  those  whose 
actions  he  thus  condemned,  he  said:  "No  one  would  more 
seriously  regret  that  the  character  of  the  individuals  concerned 
should  suffer  in  any  respect  than  the  writer.  He  feels,  as  deeply 
as  man  can,  for  them,  and  would  gladly  sacrifice  almost  anything 


BOSTON  OR  TREMONT  TEMPLE  PASTORATE  55 

but  the  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness  that  they  might  be 
rescued  from  their  painful  position,  and  the  cause  in  which  they 
are  engaged  from  the  embarrassments  which  these  transactions 

have  brought  upon  it With  individuals  I  have  no  war, 

offensive  or  defensive.  I  will  have  none.  The  controversy  is 
not  a  personal  one.  The  cause  of  missions  is  God's  cause — is 

humanity's  cause.  It  has  been  wounded It  has  been 

chained  to  the  abominations  of  slavery.  God's  frown  is  upon 
the  transaction.  It  must  be  unchained." 

Again,  he  declared:  "I  can  say,  in  truth,  I  would  most 
gladly  have  avoided  this  task.  It  has  been  one  of  the  most 
painful  duties  of  my  life.  I  can  and  do  appreciate  their  [those 
individuals']  worth.  Nor  have  I  ceased  to  love  them  as  breth- 
ren. I  have  no  desire  to  cast  them  down  from  my  heart  or 
affections.  Peter  '  dissembled,'  that  he  might  please  the  Jews, 
and  Paul  'withstood  him  to  the  face,  because  he  was  to  be 
blamed.'1  But  Paul  did  not  love  Peter  the  less,  nor  cast  him 
from  his  heart.  My  dear  brethren  have  sadly  dissembled  in 
this  matter,  and  many  have  been  carried  away  with  their  dis- 
simulation, and  they  are  'to  be  blamed.'  I  am  sure  that  Jesus 
is  displeased  with  it.  The  church  has  been  weakened  by  it. 
By  it  the  cause  of  missions  has  been  sorely  wounded.  Liberty 
and  its  friends  have  by  it  been  thrust  to  the  heart.  Truly  they 
are  to  be  blamed.  But  I  will  blame  them  in  love.  My  prayer 
shall  still  be,  Lord,  heal  and  prevent  the  injury,  and  forgive 
and  bless  those  who  have  erred.  Yours,  in  the  patience  of  the 
saints."3 

Naturally,  very  little  information  of  a  definite  character  has 
been  preserved  with  regard  to  what  Dr.  Colver  did  through 

'Gal.  2:11-13. 

2  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  A  Review  of  the  Doings  of  the  Baptist  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions  and  of  the  Triennial  Convention  at  Baltimore,  April,  1841, 
(Boston,  1841),  pp.  2-3,  8-1 1,  33  ff.  The  review  was  published  first  in  the 
Christian  Reflector  in  December,  1841. 


56  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

many  years  to  aid  runaway  slaves  in  their  efforts  to  attain  their 
freedom.  But  one  incident  is  reported  by  George  Lowell  Austin, 
who  says  that  in  the  autumn  of  1842  George  Latimer,  a  native 
of  Virginia,  was  arrested  in  Boston,  without  a  warrant,  and 
claimed  as  a  slave.  The  greatest  excitement  prevailed.  Then 
it  was  that  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver  agreed  to  pay  the  sum  of 
four  hundred  dollars  on  the  delivery  of  free  papers  for  Latimer 
and  the  surrender  of  a  power  of  attorney  to  reclaim  the  latter's 
wife.  The  offer  was  accepted;  and  Latimer  was  released.1 

About  this  time,  and  for  quite  a  while,  Boston  and  much  of 
the  country  at  large  were  greatly  disturbed  by  the  preaching, 
and  more  particularly  by  the  prophecy,  of  William  Miller  that 
the  second  coming  of  Christ  and  the  end  of  the  world  were  to 
occur  in  1843.  Miller  was  a  farmer-preacher,  apparently  of 
sincerity  and  of  a  kindly  disposition,  who  had  made  up  for  his 
early  disadvantages  as  best  he  could,  and  who  had  been  licensed, 
but  not  ordained,  to  preach,  by  a  Baptist  church.  Almost 
incredible  was  the  effect  which  his  preaching  and  prophecy  had 
on  vast  numbers  of  people,  as  were  also  the  preparations  that 
were  made  by  many  of  his  followers  to  be  ready  to  meet  the 
Lord  when  he  should  appear. 

This  led  to  the  delivery,  by  Dr.  Colver,  in  Marlboro  Chapel, 
of  three  lectures  on  the  prophecy  of  Daniel  and  its  application. 
Something  of  the  nature  of  the  lectures  may  be  inferred  from 
his  statements  in  them  that  "  the  idiom  of  prophetic  language  is 
so  highly  figurative  as  to  afford  a  rich  field  for  the  exercise  of  a 
fervid  and  uncontrolled  imagination.  Nor  is  there  wanting,  in 
men  in  general,  a  strong  tendency  to  abandon  the  slower  progress 
of  surefooted  truth,  and  of  stern  and  jealous  investigation,  for 
the  more  sunny  and  airy  regions  of  imagination,  and  for  lofty 
flights  of  fancy.  How  far  these  remarks  are  applicable  to  the 
recent  lectures  and  books  upon  prophecy,  with  which  our  city 
and  country  are  now  being  flooded,  and  to  the  influence  they 

1  History  of  Massachusetts  (Boston:  B.  B.  Russell,  1875),  p.  438. 


BOSTON  OR  TREMONT  TEMPLE  PASTORATE  57 

are  exerting  upon  many  minds,  everyone  must  judge  for  him- 
self  We  enter  upon  this  investigation  not  insensible  of 

its  difficulties;  and  would  be  glad,  if  we  could,  to  pursue  and 
finish  it  without  making  any  allusions  to  the  opinions  of  others. 
....  We  can  only  engage  that,  when  necessary,  they  shall  be 

made  in  the  spirit  of  kindness Do  these  numbers  in 

Daniel,  '2,300,'  '1,290,'  and  '1,33s,'1  afford  any  clew  to  the 
time  of  the  second  advent  of  Christ  ?  On  them  ....  has  been 

based  an  argument  to  show  that  the  time  is  to  be  1843 

Before  we  close,  permit  us  to  remind  you,  beloved  friends,  that 
our  subject  of  discussion  is  not,  whether  or  not  Christ  is  coming 
in  1843.  With  reference  to  that  event,  let  us  continually  bear 
in  mind  the  injunction  of  our  Lord,  'Watch  therefore,  for  ye 
know  neither  the  day  nor  the  hour  wherein  the  Son  of  man 
cometh.'2  He  may  come  to  us — or  to  some  of  us — even  in  1842. 
....  And  while  we  can  best  regard  a  man-made  'midnight- 
cry  '  as  the  very  delirium  of  fanaticism,  if  not  a  fearful  assump- 
tion of  the  divine  prerogative;  let  us  remember  that  it  is  the 
height  of  temerity,  and  surpassing  madness,  for  anyone  to  suffer 
a  single  day  or  hour  to  pass  him  unprepared  for  that  cry  which 
shall  one  day  break  upon  the  ear  of  a  slumbering  world."3 

The  letter  of  the  church  for  the  associational  year  of  1842-43 
stated,  according  to  the  report  of  the  association:  "A  few  have 
been  added  to  their  number.  Yet  they  say  'the  year  has  not 
been  so  prolific  in  showers  of  mercy,  as  in  winds  of  doctrine.' 
They  have  been  under  the  necessity  of  excluding  several  of  their 
number,  'not  for  believing  that  Christ  is  coming  in  1843,  but 
because  a  belief  in  that  doctrine  was  made  not  only  a  test  of 
Christianity  by  its  advocates,  but  a  rallying  point  around  which 

1  Dan.  8:14;  12:11-12. 

2  Matt.  25:13. 

3  Nathaniel  Colver,  The  Prophecy  of  Daniel  Literally  Fulfilled  (Boston: 
William  S.  Damrell,  1843). 


58          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

all  faiths  and  creeds  were  mixing  in  a  communion  embracing 
the  most  destructive  heresies.'  "x 

During  the  first  three  years  of  Dr.  Colver's  pastorate  in 
Boston,  the  church  occupied  three  different  halls  in  succession, 
the  second  one  being  larger  than  the  first,  and  the  third  larger 
than  the  second,  each  one  in  turn  being  found  to  be  too  small 
to  accommodate  the  growing  congregations.  Finally,  what  was 
known  as  the  Tremont  Theater,  which  was  centrally  located, 
was  purchased,  remodeled  to  adapt  it  to  church  purposes,  and 
then  called  "Tremont  Temple."  Eight  thousand  dollars, 
Mr.  Jeffrey  says,  was  raised,  "largely  by  appeals  from  the 
eloquent  lips  of  Dr.  Colver,"  this  amount  being  sufficient  to 
transform  the  theater  into  a  church  building.  The  work  was 
completed,  and  the  edifice  dedicated  on  Thursday  evening, 
December  7, 1843,  from  which  time  the  Temple  was  " constantly 
filled  by  the  crowds  who  listened  attentively  to  the  masterly 
preacher  who  remained  pastor  for  thirteen  years.  Prosperity 
crowned  the  earnest  efforts  of  pastor  and  people,  until  immedi- 
ately after  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Colver."2 

The  Tremont  Theater  was,  in  its  day,  considered  one  of  the 
finest  specimens  of  architecture  in  the  city  of  Boston,  the  front 
being  of  Quincy  granite  and  of  Ionic  design.  As  the  building 
was  remodeled,  it  gave  the  church  an  auditorium  about  88  by  90 
feet  in  size,  capable  of  seating  two  thousand  people,  and,  besides 
that,  two  commodious  lecture-rooms,  while  the  remainder  of  the 
building  was  converted  into  stores  and  offices  which  were  rented 
out  to  produce  an  income  to  help  defray  the  expenses  of  the 
church.  The  dedicatory  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr.  Colver,3 
and  a  hymn  written  by  him  for  the  occasion  was  sung. 

1  "Digest  of  Letters  ....  Tremont  Street  Baptist  Church,"  Minutes  of 
Boston  Baptist  Association,  September  20-21,  1843. 

2 Historical  Sketch  of  Tremont  Temple  Baptist  Church  (Boston,  1906). 

3  His  text  was:  "Now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world:  now  shall  the 
prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out.  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth, 
will  draw  all  men  unto  me." — John  12:31-32. 


BOSTON  OR  TREMONT  TEMPLE  PASTORATE  59 

Of  Dr.  Colver's  ministry  in  Boston  it  has  been  said  that  it 
"was  a  remarkable  one,  unique  in  the  history  of  the  Boston 
pulpit,  and  scarcely  equaled  anywhere  in  this  country  at  any 
time  for  boldness,  energy,  the  mastery  of  formidable  difficulties, 
and  its  hold  upon  popular  interest.  In  the  higher  results  of 
spiritual  effectiveness  it  was  no  less  notable."1 

Dr.  Smith  says  that  it  is  easy  to  see  how  such  a  ministry 
as  Dr.  Colver's  would  have  its  own  place  in  Boston,  and  its 
own  elements  of  powerful  effect.  Indeed,  it  seems  quite  certain 
that  just  because  Dr.  Colver  was  not  a  typical  Boston  preacher 
he  was  the  more  a  power.  Certain  it  is  that  Tremont  Temple, 
while  he  filled  its  pulpit,  became  the  center,  not  only  of  a 
peculiar  fascination,  but,  what  was  much  better,  of  an  influence 
in  behalf  of  truth  and  righteousness  in  all  their  forms,  which 
made  itself  felt  in  the  most  exclusive  circles  of  either  the  social 
or  intellectual  life  of  the  city,  and  indeed  went  abroad  widely 
over  the  land  as  an  inspiration  to  what  was  good;  a  felt  rebuke 
to  all  that  was  evil.  Visitors  from  far  and  near  flocked  to  his 
preaching  as  to  one  of  the  great  attractions  of  the  most  fasci- 
nating city  in  America.  How  these  visitors  were  often  impressed 
was  illustrated  in  the  fact  that  a  Baptist  minister  of  distinction 
from  one  of  the  southern  states  while  visiting  in  Boston  went  to 
hear  Dr.  Colver  preach.  On  being  asked  how  he  liked  him,  he 
replied:  "I  abhor  the  man's  abolitionism;  but  he  is  the  best 
preacher  that  I  have  heard  in  Boston."2 

Dr.  Rollin  H.  Neale,  the  very  able  and  eloquent  pastor  at 
that  time  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Boston,  after  describing 
Dr.  Colver  as  in  many  respects  a  most  remarkable  man,  said 
that  "those  who  knew  him  when  in  Boston  will  agree  with  me, 
I  am  sure,  when  I  say  he  was  one  of  our  greatest  preachers.  I 

1  The  Baptist  Encyclopaedia,  edited  by  William  Cathcart  (Philadelphia: 
Louis  H.  Everts,  1881),  p.  254. 

2  Rev.  J.  A.  Smith,  Memoir  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  D.D.,  pp.  137-39, 
153. 


60          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

have  heard  him  many  times,  and  never  without  being  impressed 
with  his  extensive  biblical  knowledge,  his  correct  views  of  gospel 
doctrine,  his  strong  thought,  and  vigorous  reasoning  power. 
He  must  have  had  an  uncommon  amount  of  native  talent,  a 
large  brain,  and  a  still  larger  heart.  His  mind  was  uncommonly 

clear  .  .  .  ,  his  sermons  were  unusually  methodical His 

arguments  were  well  arranged,  appropriate,  clear,  logical, 
increasing  in  weight  and  interest  as  he  proceeded.  There  was 
no  rambling,  nothing  extraneous.  ....  Then,  'his  inferences ' ! 
Here  he  laid  out  all  his  strength.  They  were  as  nails  fastened 
by  the  master  of  assemblies.  The  power  which  had  been 
gathering  and  increasing  in  the  preceding  parts  of  his  discourse, 
came  to  a  resistless  concentration  at  the  close,  like  the  seventh 
wave  of  the  incoming  tide."1 

After  the  enactment  by  Congress,  in  1850,  of  the  Fugitive 
Slave  Law,  which  provided  for  the  recapture  of  fugitives  from 
Southern  bondage,  and  through  its  application  to  all  the  states 
required  citizens  of  the  free  states  to  aid  in  its  execution, 
Dr.  Colver  preached  a  sermon  in  which  he  said  that  with  the 
strange  and  iniquitous  provisions  of  this  law  humanity  had  been 
shocked.  The  feeling  was  almost  universal  that  its  execution 
would  be  the  commission  of  a  monstrous  crime.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances the  inquiry  had  been  bitter  and  earnest,  "What  shall 
be  done  ?  What  is  our  duty  ?"  To  no  class  in  the  community 
did  this  inquiry  more  appropriately  appeal  than  to  the  spiritual 
advisers  in  the  church  of  God.  "With  that  appeal,"  he  went 
on  to  say,  "as  an  ambassador  of  Christ,  I  dare  not  trifle.  With 
a  painful  and  trembling  reluctance,  I  yield.  I  shrink  with  in- 
describable distress  from  the  thought  of  seeming,  for  a  moment, 
to  counsel  disobedience  to  the  laws  of  the  land.  But  when,  on 
the  other  hand,  it  is  obvious  that  a  crime  of  appalling  magnitude 
is  about  to  be  committed  in  the  name  of  the  law — a  crime 
involving  the  hopeless  ruin  of  thousands,  the  conscience  of  the 

1  Rev.  J.  A.  Smith,  Memoir  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  D.D.,  pp.  137-38. 


BOSTON  OR  TREMONT  TEMPLE  PASTORATE  6l 

nation  denied  and  humanity  outraged,  I  dare  not  be  silent." 
He  recognized  that  subjection  to  the  civil  magistrate  is  a  scrip- 
tural doctrine.  But  our  allegiance  to  civil  government  must  be 
subordinate  to  our  allegiance  to  the  higher  government  of  God. 
The  "duty  of  the  subject  cannot  be  doubtful.  If  he  take 
counsel  of  his  fears,  he  may  hesitate;  but,  if  he  take  counsel  of 
his  duty,  he  will  prefer  the  authority  of  God  to  the  authority 
of  men.  Such  a  decision  may  be  costly,  but  it  will  be  just,  and 
safe  in  the  end." 

From  his  text1  he  derived  two  propositions  which  he  sub- 
mitted for  consideration.  The  first  one  was:  "Whenever  the 
law  of  any  civil  government  demands  of  its  subjects  either 
active  or  passive  disobedience  to  the  known  will,  or  law,  of  God, 
disobedience  to  the  former,  in  favor  of  the  latter,  becomes  an 
imperative  duty."  On  this  point  he  said,  in  part:  "Let  the 
proposition  be  distinctly  understood.  I  do  not  say  that  resist- 
ance to  every  unrighteous  law  is  a  duty.  Laws  may  make  very 
unrighteous  and  oppressive  exactions  upon  us,  and  it  may  be 
our  duty  to  submit.  '  If  any  man  will  sue  thee  at  the  law,  and 
take  away  thy  coat,  let  him  have  thy  cloke  also.'2  The  exaction 
may  be  unjust  and  cruel,  but  it  is  to  be  borne.  It  is  only  when 
the  law  commands  the  subject  to  do  that  which  the  law  of  God 
forbids,  or  to  fail  to  do  that  which  the  law  of  God  commands, 
that  he  is  bound  to  resist  it.  We  shall  greatly  err  if  we  do  not 
keep  this  distinction  constantly  in  view.  This  proposition,  thus 
carefully  defined,  is  sustained,  I  remark,  in  the  first  place,  by 
men  acting  under  the  inspiration  and  approbation  of  God.  The 
three  worthies  mentioned  in  the  third  chapter  of  Daniel  afford 

a  case  in  point There  is  a  like  confirmation  of  our 

proposition  in  the  conduct  of  Daniel  under  the  iniquitous  law 
of  Darius,3  with  this  difference,  the  law  of  Nebuchadnezzar 

1  "Then  Peter  and  the  other  apostles  answered  and  said,  We  ought  to 
obey  God  rather  than  men." — Acts  5 : 29. 

3  Matt.  5:40.  3  Dan.,  chap.  6. 


62  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

required  active,  that  of  Darius  passive,  disobedience  to  the  law 
of  God.  The  case  is  so  much  in  point  as  to  demand  our  careful 
attention,  as  it  shows  conclusively  that  the  man  who  truly  fears 
God  will  not,  and  cannot,  yield  to  the  interposition  of  the  civil 
law,  between  him  and  his  God,  in  the  least  particular,  be  the 
consequences  what  they  may." 

The  second  proposition  submitted  was  that  such  was  the 
inherent  and  manifest  iniquity  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law,  such 
its  hostility  to  the  law  of  God,  as  to  render  disobedience  to  its 
demands  a  solemn  duty. 

With  regard  to  what  he  meant  when  he  urged  disobedience 
to  this  law  for  the  recapture  of  fugitive  slaves,  Dr.  Colver  said: 
"We  have  urged  such  disobedience,  not  as  a  capricious  resistance 
of  some  heavy  burden  imposed  upon  us,  but  as  a  moral  duty — 
a  duty  solemnly  required  of  God,  because  this  law  requires  us 
to  violate  his  law,  and  to  stain  ourselves  with  no  ordinary  guilt. 
And  we  urge  it  still.  But  let  no  one  suppose  for  a  moment  that 

we  urge  rebellion As  to  the  extent  of  disobedience,  I 

may  say,  in  safety,  that  whenever  and  wherever  and  in  just  so 
far  as  it  requires  a  violation  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  or  the  moral 
precepts  of  God,  it  should  be  disobeyed,  and  disobeyed  with  a 
firmness  that  knows  no  hesitation  or  change.  It  shall  console 
us  to  know  that  we  are  not  the  first  who  have  found  themselves 
hedged  in  between  duty  and  danger;  a  position  into  which, 
first  or  last,  God  usually  brings  his  children,  that  he  may  test 
their  fidelity  to  himself  and  bring  them  forth  as  gold  purified 
in  the  furnace." 

"But,"  said  Dr.  Colver,  "I  submit  whether  there  is  not  a 
relation  which  we  sustain  to  this  bill,  which,  whether  we  obey 
it  or  not,  involves  us  in  its  guilt.  In  this  country  the  people 
are  the  government.  Legislators  are  but  agents  of  the  people. 
....  Nor  let  the  fault  be  all  laid  upon  the  citizens  of  the 

South But  if,  after  all,  I  am  mistaken — if  for  past 

delinquencies  you  are  not  responsible  for  the  existence  of  this 


BOSTON  OR  TREMONT  TEMPLE  PASTORATE  63 

bill — yet  I  beg  to  assure  you  that  you  will  be  responsible  for  its 
long  continuance.  The  mischief  has  been  done  by  our  per- 
mission, now  let  it  be  undone  by  our  exertion.  Repeal  is  a 
duty — unconditional  duty."1 

By  1852,  Dr.  Colver  had  come  to  think  that  it  might  be 
well  for  him  to  close  his  work  in  Boston.  He  was  then  fifty- 
eight  years  of  age.  He  had  given  thirty- three  years  to  the 
hardest  kind  of  pastoral,  home-missionary,  and  reform  work, 
without  sparing  himself,  which  he  could  not  have  done  if  he  had 
not  had  an  unusually  strong  constitution.  Yet,  robust  as  he 
was  by  nature,  his  health  had  several  times  been  near  to  giving 
way.  So  he  decided  to  resign  his  pastorate  of  the  Tremont 
Street  Baptist  Church,  or  "Tremont  Temple."  He  did  not 
have  to  do  it.2  The  church  loved  him;  how  much  is  indicated 

1  Rev.   Nathaniel   Colver,    The  Fugitive  Slave  Bill;    or,  God's  Laws 
Paramount  to  the  Laws  of  Men:  A  Sermon  Preached  on  Sunday,  October  20, 
1850.     Published  by  Request  of  the  Church  (Boston:  J.  M.  Hewes  &  Co., 
1850).     On  the  second  page  of  the  cover  of  this  pamphlet,  which  had  a 
wide  circulation,  were  printed   resolutions  which   were  adopted    by    the 
Tremont    Street    Baptist   Church   of    Boston   on  October  n,  1850,  and 
which  were    signed  by    "Nathaniel  Colver,    pastor,"  and    by   "Joseph 
J.  Howe,  clerk,"  which  resolutions  were,  in  part:    "That,  as  disciples 
of    Christ    and    members    of   his    church,    we    ought    not,    we    cannot, 
and,  as  we  fear  God,  we  will  not  render  obedience  to  the  said  [fugitive 
slave]  law.    We  should  regard  it  as  practical  atheism,  for  a  moment  to 
give  it  the  supremacy  over  the  law  of  God,  with  which  it  is  at  direct  and 
manifest  war.    We  do  indeed  recognize  our  duty  with  all  meekness  to 
abide  whatever  penalities  a  wicked  and  oppressive  government  may  see 
fit  to  inflict  upon  us  for  our  fidelity  to  the  laws  of  God.     But  be  the  con- 
sequences what  they  may,  we  feel  solemnly  bound  by  every  means  in  our 
power  to  feed,  comfort,  shelter  and  aid  the  fugitives  from  southern  bond- 
age, the  same  as  if  no  such  law  existed,  and  the  same  as  if  they  were  our 
own  children,  fleeing  from  the  savages  of  the  wilderness,  or  from  any  enemy 
who  was  seeking  feloniously  to  deprive  them  of  their  liberties  or  lives." 

2  If,  as  has  been  suggested,  his  leading  deacon  sometimes  tried  him 
by  inconsiderately  exacting  too  much  of  him  and  that  had  somewhat  to 
do  with  his  resignation,  still  they  were  one  at  heart  in  the  work  and  cordial 
in  their  relations,  as  was  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  when  Dr.  Colver  sent 
his  goods  away  he  went  to  the  deacon's  house  to  stay  overnight,  or  longer. 


64  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

by  the  fact  that,  eighteen  years  later,  when  he  was  in  his  last 
illness,  the  church  sent  its  pastor,  Dr.  Fulton,  to  Chicago  to 
visit  him  and  to  bear  its  message  of  love  to  him.  It  is  not  so 
surprising  that  he  should  have  thought  of  leaving  that  work  as 
it  is  that  he  remained  in  it  as  long  as  he  did,  which,  with  his 
manifest  disposition  to  be  constantly  seeking  out  new  places 
needing  help,  he  would  hardly  have  done  if  it  had  not  been  an 
exceptionally  great  work,  in  a  great  center,  at  a  great  time  for 
such  work.  At  least,  he  could  feel  that  he  was  leaving  the 
church  in  good  condition,  and  that  it  ought  to  be  able  to  get 
along  all  right  without  him.  So  he  resigned,  accepted  another 
call,  arranged  to  preach  his  farewell  sermon  on  Sunday,  April  4, 
and  sent  his  household  goods  away  on  March  30. 

Then,  in  the  early  hours  of  Wednesday,  March  31,  1852,  one 
of  the  historic  fires  of  Boston  occurred,  the  light  of  which  was 
seen  by  the  passengers  on  a  steamer  sixty-five  miles  away.  It 
was  Tremont  Temple  that  burned.  Taking  the  account  of  it 
that  was  given  in  the  Boston  Daily  Courier,  the  alarm  was 
sounded  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  by  the  Old  South  bell. 
At  first  several  men  attempted  with  buckets  of  water  to  extin- 
guish what  appeared  to  be  a  slight  flame  issuing  from  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  upper  floor.  Soon  after  that  a  fire  company 
arrived,  but  by  some  fatality  they  found  themselves  wanting 
in  a  sufficiency  of  hose  ready  for  use.  During  the  time  lost  in 
detaching  this  hose  from  its  machinery  and  lengthening  it  for 
service,  the  fire  gained  a  rapid  headway,  which  enabled  it  to 
baffle  the  most  diligent  efforts  to  check  it.  It  raged  with 
tremendous  fury.  Indescribable  consternation  was  caused  by 
the  falling  in  of  the  roof,  as  unexpected  as  it  was  terrific.  The 
lofty  granite  front,  which  was  originally  the  best  piece  of  archi- 
tecture in  Boston,  remained  standing  during  the  greater  part 
of  the  conflagration,  although  the  granite  blocks  crumbled  and 
flew  in  shreds  from  time  to  time  under  the  intense  heat.  At 
half-past  two,  the  massy  pediment  was  seen  to  totter,  and  in  a 


BOSTON  OR  TREMONT  TEMPLE  PASTORATE  65 

few  seconds  the  whole  wall  gave  way  and  fell  with  a  terrific 
crash  into  Tremont  Street,  the  masses  of  masonry  being  thrown 
completely  across  the  street.  At  a  little  before  three  o'clock, 
the  southern  walls  likewise  fell.  By  four  o'clock,  the  fire  had 
been  got  under  such  control  that  it  could  spread  no  farther. 
A  negro  had  a  very  narrow  escape  from  the  fire.  He  was 
sleeping  in  the  attic,  and  was  driven  by  the  flames  up  to  the 
roof  of  the  building,  from  which  he  escaped,  nobody  knew  how. 
The  Courier  learned  that  the  room  in  which  the  fire  originated 
was  occupied  by  a  landscape  painter,  and  that  the  bursting  of  a 
camphene  lamp  was  the  origin  of  this  great  calamity.  But  the 
Daily  Evening  Transcript  got  later,  and  apparently  better, 
opinions,  which  were  to  the  effect  that  the  fire  could  not  have 
caught  from  camphene,  but  probably  originated  from  a  defective 
furnace  flue. 

According  to  the  Transcript  of  Tuesday,  April  6,  Dr.  Colver 
preached  his  farewell  sermon  on  Sunday,  April  4,  to  a  crowded 
congregation,  at  the  Lowell  Institute,  which  occupied  the  prem- 
ises formerly  known  as  Marlboro  Chapel;  and  after  the  morning 
service  he  administered  the  rite  of  baptism  at  the  First  Baptist 
Church. 


CHAPTER  IV 

PASTORATES  IN  DETROIT,  CINCINNATI, 
CHICAGO,  AND  OTHER  PLACES 

The  place  to  which  Dr.  Colver  went  from  Boston  may  seem 
small  in  comparison  with  that  which  he  left,  but  he  always  liked 
small  places,  and  he  needed  a  rest.  Moreover,  he  went  there 
intending  to  remain  but  a  short  time.  Other,  and  larger,  places 
wanted  him.  He  chose  to  go  to  South  Abington  (now  Whitman) , 
in  Plymouth  County,  Massachusetts,  about  twenty-one  miles 
southeast  of  Boston,  because  he  was  in  some  manner  drawn 
thither,  and  because  he  had  some  things  which  he  wished  to 
look  after  or  to  do  which  he  could  attend  to  better  from  there 
than  he  could  from  much  farther  away.  They  were  matters 
that  he  desired  to  have  disposed  of  before  he  started  for 
what  was  called  the  "  West,"  where  he  was  then  undoubtedly 
planning  to  go  as  soon  as  he  could  well  do  it.  The  year  before 
he  had  made  a  trip  to  Illinois,  stopping  at  Detroit,  Michigan, 
and  other  places,  studying  the  field. 

The  First  Baptist  Church  of  South  Abington  was  organized 
as  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Abington  in  1822.  Its  record 
on  the  slavery  question  was  a  somewhat  remarkable  one.  It 
sold  its  pews  in  its  first  meetinghouse,  incorporating  into  the 
deed  given  for  each  pew  the  condition  that  the  house  was  to  be  a 
"  Calvinistic  Baptist  meetinghouse  forever,"  and  the  further 
condition  that  the  grantee  should  not  "suffer  the  pew  or  any 
part  thereof  to  be  conveyed  to,  or  occupied  by,  or  in  any  manner 
come  into  the  possession  of,  any  colored  person  or  persons, 
or  anyone  classed  with  him  or  them."  This  latter  condition 
remained  in  force  until  1836,  when  it  was  abandoned  as  a 

66 


PASTORATES  IN  OTHER  PLACES  67 

church  policy  and  waived  as  to  pews  that  had  been  sold  under 
it.  In  1841  the  church  was  sorely  rent  by  a  controversy  over 
the  subject  of  slavery,  which  culminated  in  a  vote  in  favor  of 
debarring  slaveholders  and  traffickers  from  the  pulpit  and  from 
the  communion.  The  published  digest  of  the  letter  of  the 
church  to  the  association,  after  Dr.  Colver  became  pastor  of 
the  church,  stated  that  "they  speak  decidedly  deploring  the 
enactment  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law,  and  especially  that  its 
supremacy  over  the  law  of  God  should  be  admitted  by  any 
who  stand  on  the  walls  of  Zion."  Since  Dr.  Colver  became  the 
pastor  of  the  church,  "  they  have  sat  together  in  heavenly  places 
in  Christ  Jesus,  and  fed  sweetly  on  the  bread  of  life."1 

Twenty  years  later,  a  pastor  of  the  church,  in  a  historical 
sketch,  said  that  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver  became  pastor  April  i, 
1852,  and  served  the  church  one  year.  "Declining  several  calls 
to  labor  in  other  fields,  he  accepted  the  invitation  of  this  church 
from  a  deep  conviction  that  hither  the  Lord  had  directed  his 
steps.  He  brought  with  him  the  fruits  of  a  large  experience. 
His  sympathies  were  broad  and  earnest.  In  his  comprehensive 
mind  he  took  in  the  great  field  for  Christian  toil  which  God 
had  spread  before  the  church  here.  His  first  and  special  aim 
therefore  was  to  search  out  ministerial  gifts  among  his  brethren 
and  bring  them  into  use.  In  the  months  of  September  and 
October  he  delivered  a  series  of  discourses,  which  greatly 
awakened  the  interest  of  the  church  in  this  matter.  The  result 
was  that  three  members  were  approved  as  suitable  candidates 
for  the  ministry.  All  of  them  engaged  in  preaching  as  occasions 
presented  themselves.  Two  of  the  number  have  since  received 
ordination,  Leander  P.  Gurney  and  Noah  Fullerton,  and  are  at 
present  pastors  of  churches.  The  name  of  Nathaniel  Colver  is 
held  in  high  esteem  in  this  church,  not  only  because  he  was  once 
their  pastor,  but  also  for  his  noble  self-sacrifice  since  hi  behalf 

x"  Digest  of  Letters,  Abington,"  Minutes  of  the  Old  Colony  Baptist 
Association,  October  6-7,  1852. 


68  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

of  the  freedmen,  a  class  in  whose  elevation  the  sympathies  of 
this  people  are  warmly  enlisted."1 

When  the  church  was  formally  notified  by  Dr.  Colver  that 
his  pastoral  work  in  South  Abington  would  have  to  end  with 
the  one  year  contracted  for,  the  church  passed  resolutions,  one 
of  which  was,  "that  it  is  with  unfeigned  grief  that  we  look 
forward  to  the  time  when  we  shall  be  deprived  of  his  labors." 

Dr.  Colver,  at  a  later  date,  referred  to  the  year  spent  at 
South  Abington  as  a  precious  one,  which  he  and  his  family  had 
enjoyed  in  the  service,  love,  and  kindness  of  the  people,  and  as 
a  year  which,  from  its  beginning  to  its  close,  was  almost  con- 
stantly attended  by  a  gentle  revival  influence,  so  that  the  last 
meeting  was  one  "mingled  with  joy  and  pain;  joy  in  the  grace 
of  God,  but  pain  at  our  separation." 

From  South  Abington,  Dr.  Colver  went,  in  April,  1853,  to 
the  pastorate  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Detroit,  Michigan. 

Detroit  had  a  population  of  26,648,  according  to  a  census 
for  1852.  The  city  directory  for  1853-54  gave  the  population 
as  37,436.  In  1852  there  were  said  to  be  in  the  city  7  stone, 
601  brick,  and  4,077  wooden  buildings,  or  4,685  in  all,  of  which 
2,567  were  dwelling-houses.  There  were  three  Baptist  churches, 
one  of  which  was  for  colored  people. 

The  First  Baptist  Church  of  Detroit  was  organized  in  1827. 
For  some  time  it  occupied  a  room  in  the  building  belonging  to 
what  was  at  one  time  called  the  "University,"  and  at  another 
time  the  "Academy." 

The  church  had  a  nominal  membership  of  upward  of  four 
hundred  when  Dr.  Colver  went  to  it;  but  it  was  in  a  deplor- 
able condition  spiritually.  The  letter  of  the  church,  dated 
October  i,  1853,  to  the  Michigan  Baptist  Association  stated: 
"Many  of  the  flock  have  become  scattered.  Our  present  pastor 

1  Charles  A.  Snow,  Historical  Discourse  Given  on  the  Fiftieth  Anniversary 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  South  Abington,  Mass.,  November  6,  1872  (South 
Abington:  Published  by  the  Church,  1873). 


PASTORATES  IN  OTHER  PLACES  69 

[Dr.  Colver]  is  engaged  in  calling  them  by  name,  hoping,  like  the 
Good  Shepherd,  to  know  and  be  known  of  them.  The  labor  is 
arduous,  and  will  require  long  and  patient  toil.  Many  are  lost 
to  the  church  militant,  and  we  fear  their  names  will  not  be 
known  in  the  church  triumphant." 

Rev.  Samuel  Haskell,  who  was  the  last  pastor  of  the  church 
before  Dr.  Colver,  said,  in  a  memorial  address  which  he  delivered 
in  September,  1877,  that  when  he  retired  from  the  pastorate, 
in  April,  1852,  there  were  399  accessible  as  resident  members. 
"But  many  of  the  later  accessions  were  persons  of  yet  slightly 
established  principles  and  habits,  and  of  changeable  pursuits  in 
life.  It  was  a  sore  test  to  these,  and  a  trying  disappointment 
to  all,  that  a  year  passed  without  the  settlement  of  a  pastor, 
and  with  very  unsteady  supplies,  even,  of  the  pulpit.  It  could 
not  but  result  that  the  membership  was  sadly  scattered,  the 
spirit  of  the  body  demoralized,  and  many  persons  were  found 
bereft  of  their  interest,  or  were  not  found  at  all,  when  again  the 
shepherd's  call  was  heard.  That  shepherd's  call  was  Nathaniel 
Colver's.  He  was  pastor  during  the  three  years  from  April, 

1853,  to  April,  1856 His  ministry,  here  as  elsewhere, 

was  an  able  work  of  doctrinal  and  practical  instruction,  and  a 
powerful  advocacy  of  the  causes  of  social  and  public  reform. 
He  had  long  been  eminently  a  public  man,  and  the  calls  which 
drew  him  from  home,  and  the  interests  which  taxed  his  energies 
in  those  exciting  years,  necessarily  interfered  with  such  personal 
attentions  to  all  the  people  in  a  pastoral  way  as  their  condition 
peculiarly  required.  The  church  endeavored  to  supplement  his 
work  by  her  personal  labors,  and  commenced,  what  was  after- 
ward carried  forward,  the  employment  of  Elder  Cornelius  to 
visit  all  the  members  of  the  church  and  congregation.  A  debt 
of  $2,000  was  reported  as  finally  cleared  off,  and  an  encouraging 
revival  of  some  extent  was  enjoyed  during  the  last  winter  of 

Dr.  Colver's  service Native  born  to  the  platform,  and 

graciously  born  to  the  pulpit,  stalwart  in  physical  frame,  the 


70          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

mighty  debater  and  the  fearless  and  indomitable  reformer,  he 
put  into  the  history  of  this  church  a  goodly  portion  of  his  ripest 
ministry."1 

After  Dr.  Colver  had  tendered  his  resignation  as  pastor  of 
the  church  and  had  declined  to  accede  to  the  urgent  request  of 
the  church  that  he  recall  his  resignation,  the  church  adopted 
resolutions  expressing  its  deep  regret,  and  stating,  among  other 
things  "that  we  cherish  a  high  appreciation  of  the  value  of 
Brother  Colver's  labors  among  us;  especially  of  his  ability  as  a 
preacher  and  expositor  of  the  Divine  Word;  of  the  fidelity  with 
which  he  has  pressed  the  claims  .of  God  upon  the  consciences 
of  men,  and  of  the  fearless  manner  in  which  he  has  borne  testi- 
mony against  all  sin  and  unrighteousness." 

It  was  to  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  that, 
as  Dr.  Colver  interpreted  it,  the  call  of  duty  required  him  to  go, 
and  considered  from  the  point  of  results  achieved  there,  he  again 
made  no  mistake  in  changing  his  field  of  labor. 

Cincinnati  had  in  1856  an  estimated  population  of  174,000. 
Of  Baptist  churches  it  had  seven,  two  of  which  were  for  colored 
people.  The  building  that  was  occupied  by  the  First  Baptist 
Church,  on  the  north  side  of  Court  Street,  between  Mound  and 
Cutter  or  Wesley  Avenue,  has  in  recent  years  been  occupied  by 
the  Cincinnati  College  of  Pharmacy,  and  the  church  was,  in 
1914,  merged  with  the  Ninth  Street  Baptist  Church. 

As  Detroit  was  on  the  border  between  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  or  of  freedom  for  escaping  slaves,  so  Cincinnati  was  on 
the  border  between  the  slave  states  and  the  free  states,  and  both 
cities  were  important  stations  or  places  of  assistance  on  the 
"underground  railway"  for  fugitives  from  the  South,  as  the 
secret  scheme  for  aiding  them  was  called. 

For  twenty  years  before  the  Civil  War,  Cincinnati  was 
divided  in  the  views  of  its  citizens,  and  was  in  more  or  less  of  a 

1  Rev.  Samuel  Haskell,  D.D.,  A  Half-Century  Memorial  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church  of  Detroit  (Detroit,  1877),  pp.  38-39,  54. 


PASTORATES  IN  OTHER  PLACES  71 

turmoil,  over  the  question  of  slavery;  and  the  trouble  was 
greatly  increased  by  agitators  from  the  outside.  Not  only  were 
there  frequent  clashes  of  opinions  and  words,  but  serious  riots 
were  not  unknown.  Many  persons  were  afraid  to  express  them- 
selves or  to  take  any  open  stand  in  the  matter,  and  would  not 
have  thought  of  calling  themselves  abolitionists;  but  Dr.  Colver 
made  it  known  at  once  that  he  was  an  "abolitionist,"  out 
and  out. 

After  John  Brown  had  made  his  raid  on  Harper's  Ferry,  had 
seized  the  national  arsenal,  and  had  been  captured,  and  while 
his  fate  was  as  yet  undetermined,  Dr.  Colver  addressed  a  letter 
to  Governor  Wise,  of  Virginia,  in  which  he  said,  along  with  other 
things  of  interest:  "You  have  in  your  hands  a  prisoner,  the 
disposal  of  whom  will  affect  yourself  and  others  far  more  seri- 
ously than  it  will  the  prisoner  himself Earth's  foulest 

blot,  the  great  anomaly  of  a  nation  of  professed  vindicators  of 
the  inherent  and  inalienable  rights  of  manhood,  with  their  heels 
upon  the  necks  of  three  millions  of  their  fellow  men,  may  indeed 
have  sapped  the  prudence  and  discretion  of  John  Brown.  It 
may  overturn  the  intellect  and  unsettle  the  brain  of  the  large- 
hearted  Gerrit  Smith.  It  may  yet  drive  thousands  to  acts  of 

rashness  and  even  madness But  it  will  never  unsettle 

the  mind  of  Jehovah,  nor  impede  in  its  progress  the  great  wheel 

of  justice Should  John  Brown  be  hung,  ....  his  death 

will  be  the  beginning  of  the  end As  a  lover  of  man,  as  a 

lover  of  freedom,  in  all  this  I  see  nothing  to  fear.  Above  all  this, 
above  the  storm,  above  the  cloud,  in  the  region  of  God's  impar- 
tial holiness,  in  the  just  government  of  his  affairs,  all  is  serene. 

The  end  is  right.     Impartial  justice  will  be  done To  die 

for  principle  is  not  dreadful.  To  die  for  sympathy  for  poor, 
crushed,  and  downtrodden  humanity  is  not  dreadful.  But  to 
shed  the  blood  of  such  a  one  is  quite  another  thing.  To  shed 
the  blood  of  such  a  one  that  thereby  the  hands  of  the  oppressor 
may  be  made  strong  is  a  deed  that  shall  find  no  covering,  either 


72  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

from  the  sheltering  wings  of  human  governments,  or  from  the 

rocks  or  the  mountains  in  the  day  of  God These  are  not  the 

chimerae  of  a  distempered  imagination.  The  things  that  God 
has  said  in  his  Word  are  verities.  There  is  a  world  where  the 
fictitious  distinctions  of  earth  are  unknown,  and  where  justice 
reigns.  I  think  of  you  as  a  man.  I  love  you  as  a  brother  man. 
God  forgive  me,  if  it  is  not  in  my  heart  to  do  good  to  my  brother- 
men  involved  in  the  meshes  and  even  guilt  of  slavery,  with  as 
tender  and  self-sacrificing  zeal  as  I  would  to  any  friends  I  have 

on  earth Slavery  is  madly  rushing  upon  its  own  doom. 

You  cannot  save  that.     In  God's  name,  save  yourself."1 

At  one  time  Dr.  Colver  announced  a  series  of  Sunday  even- 
ing lectures  on  "Slavery  as  a  Sin."  The  house  was  crowded  to 
overflowing  from  the  very  first.  He  was,  by  turns,  closely 
argumentative  and  energetically  denunciatory.  He  was  humor- 
ous; he  was  pathetic;  sometimes  his  irony  cut  like  a  Damascus 
blade;  again,  it  tore  in  pieces  and  burned,  as  when  the  lightning 
strikes  an  oak.  In  one  of  these  lectures  he  declared,  as  he  had 
at  other  places,  that  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  was  a  flagrant 
outrage  on  the  laws  of  God,  and  that,  as  such,  men  ought  not 
to  obey  it.  One  of  his  hearers  became  so  much  excited  that  he 
called  out,  "That  is  nothing  but  rank  treason."  Dr.  Colver 
paused,  drew  himself  up  to  his  full  height,  and,  looking  keenly 
at  the  man  for  a  moment,  said  in  his  most  majestic  tones: 
"Treason  to  the  devil  is  loyalty  to  God."  The  effect  on  the 

1  Rev.  J.  A.  Smith,  Memoir  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  D.D.,  pp.  236-39. 
On  Sunday,  December  n,  1859,  which  was  nine  days  after  the  execution 
of  John  Brown,  Dr.  Colver  preached  a  sermon  that  was  afterward  published 
at  the  request  of  the  congregation.  The  publication  was  under  the  title 
and  subtitle:  Slavery  or  Freedom  Must  Die:  The  Harper's  Ferry  Tragedy  a 
Symptom  of  a  Disease  in  the  Heart  of  the  Nation;  or  the  power  of  slavery  to 
destroy  the  liberties  of  the  nation,  from  which  there  is  no  escape  but  in 
the  destruction  of  slavery  itself  (Cincinnati:  Printed  at  the  Office  of  the 
Christian  Luminary,  1860).  His  text  was:  "Can  a  man  take  fire  in  his 
bosom,  and  his  clothes  not  be  burned  ?  "— Prov,  6:27, 


PASTORATES  IN  OTHER  PLACES          73 

audience  was  something  wonderful.  An  indescribable  thrill  ran 
through  it,  men  turned  pale  with  excitement,  and  it  was  a 
common  remark  afterward  that  "Dr.  Colver  made  my  blood 
run  cold." 

But,  as  much  as  Dr.  Colver  did  to  help  bring  freedom  for 
the  slaves,  that  was  not  the  most  important  feature  of  his 
ministry  in  Cincinnati.  It  was  the  revival  and  heartening 
effect  of  his  preaching  that  was  most  remarkable.  A  great 
work  of  grace  was  soon  begun,  and  carried  on,  so  that  many 
were  added  to  the  membership  of  the  church. 

Although  he  was  sixty-two  years  of  age  when  he  went  to 
Cincinnati,  he  was  described  as  not  having  lost  a  whit  of  his 
power.  For  many  months  he  conducted  meetings  every  even- 
ing, except  on  Saturday  evenings,  generally  preaching,  and 
preaching  exhaustive  sermons,  often  of  an  hour  or  more  in 
length.  His  powerful  frame  appeared  not  to  show  the  least 
effect  of  the  pressure  of  years.  He  was  full  of  vigor.  His 
intellectual  strength  was  also  marvelous.  He  had  the  logical 
faculty  to  an  extraordinary  degree.  His  memory  was  stored 
with  an  inexhaustible  stock  of  anecdotes  and  of  quaint  and 
pithy  illustrations.  His  expositions  of  the  Scriptures  were 
especially  rich,  for  he  was  an  expository  genius  who  poured  a 
flood  of  light  on  the  sacred  page.  The  old  First  Church  never 
before  or  since  numbered  so  many  able  and  thoughtful  men  in 
its  congregation  as  it  did  then. 

A  Presbyterian  clergyman  of  Cincinnati  said  that  Dr.  Col- 
ver's  grasp  of  the  truth  was  wonderful.  The  clearness  with 
which  he  set  forth  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  could  never  be 
forgotten  by  those  who  heard  them.  There  was  a  directness 
and  boldness  in  uttering  truth  that  reminded  one  of  Knox,  of 
Luther,  and  of  Paul. 

Another  side  of  Dr.  Colver's  nature  and  life  was  emphasized 
by  another  minister  of  Cincinnati,  who  said  that  Dr.  Colver's 
warm  heart  glowed  in  deep  sympathy  for  the  poor,  the  aged, 


74          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

the  distressed,  and  the  oppressed.  In  their  lowly  rooms,  and 
by  the  bedside  of  the  sick  and  enfeebled,  he  loved  to  linger,  to 
speak  words  of  comfort,  and  to  utter  his  fervent  prayers.  He 
particularly  liked  to  visit  the  Widows'  Home,  and  to  preach 
Jesus  to  its  forty  aged  inmates.  On  one  of  these  occasions  he 
insisted  on  a  blind  woman,  eighty  years  of  age  and  very  deaf, 
coming  into  the  chapel.  She  sat  by  his  side,  with  her  trumpet, 
while  he  declared  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God;  and  she  spoke 
of  that  sermon  time  and  time  again  afterward  as  the  only  one 
that  she  had  heard  for  many  years.  It  has  been  further  said 
that  his  heart,  his  house,  and  his  church  were  homes  for  the 
stranger,  and  that  more  than  one  orphan  was  made  glad 
by  him.1 

At  Cincinnati  Dr.  Colver  gave  increased  attention  to  the 
systematic  promotion  of  ministerial  education.  He  gathered 
about  him  a  class  of  young  men  who  were  looking  forward  to 
the  ministry;  and  he  instructed  them,  out  of  the  abundance  of 
his  practical  experience  and  wisdom,  on  what  to  preach  and  how 
to  preach,  besides  enriching  them  with  many  helpful  expositions 
of  the  Scriptures. 

Moreover,  he  was  made  a  trustee  of,  and  rendered  valuable 
service  to,  the  then  existing  Fairmount  Theological  Seminary, 
which  was  established  in  1851  by  the  Western  Baptist  Education 
Society,  and  was  located  at  Fairmount,  about  two  miles  north- 
west of  the  courthouse  in  Cincinnati.  He  was  also  tendered 
the  position  of  district  secretary  for  the  West  of  the  Baptist 
Home  Mission  Convention,  or  Society,  but  he  declined  it  at  the 
earnest  entreaty  of  his  church,  and  more  particularly  at  that 
of  the  young  men  who  had  been  but  recently  brought  into  the 
church  through  his  preaching,  thirty  of  whom  sent  to  him  a 
remonstrance  against  his  leaving  them  when  they  so  much 
needed  his  guidance  and  instruction. 

1  Rev.  J.  A.  Smith,  Memoir  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  D.D.,  pp.  225-29, 


PASTORATES  IN  OTHER  PLACES  75 

In  1857,  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  on 
him  by  Denison  University,  of  Granville,  Ohio. 

In  1860,  Dr.  Colver  felt  that  he  must  again  have  a  rest  and 
lighten  to  some  extent  the  load  that  he  carried.  So  he  resigned 
his  pastorate  in  Cincinnati,  his  resignation  to  take  effect  at  the 
close  of  that  year,  after  nearly  five  years  of  strenuous  labor 
there.  From  there  he  went  to  Woodstock,  Illinois,  or  to  a 
farm  which  he  had  purchased  near  Woodstock.  At  the  same 
time  he  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Woodstock,  but  he  retained  it  for  only  seven  months,  from 
January  4  to  July  26,  1861. 

The  reason  he  did  not  remain  longer  at  Woodstock  was  that, 
after  he  had  somewhat  recuperated,  he  could  not  resist  the 
strong  appeal  made  by  the  Tabernacle  Baptist  Church  of 
Chicago  to  him  to  transfer  his  ministerial  labor  to  its  larger, 
and  in  a  sense  needier,  field,  which  he  then  felt  that  it  was 
incumbent  on  him  to  do. 

The  Baptist  churches  in  Chicago  in  1861  were  seven  in 
number.  They  were,  according  to  the  city  directory  of  that 
time :  the  First  Baptist  Church,  which  was  located  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  Washington  and  LaSalle  streets,  diagonally 
opposite  the  courthouse,  where  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
building  now  stands;  the  Tabernacle  Baptist  Church,  across 
the  river,  on  Des  Plaines  Street,  between  Madison  and  Wash- 
ington streets;  the  Berean  Baptist  Church,  on  the  corner  of 
Des  Plaines  and  De  Koven  streets;  the  Edina  Place  Baptist 
Church,  on  the  corner  of  Edina  Place  and  Harrison  Street, 
Edina  Place  being  just  west  of  State  Street;  the  North  Baptist 
Church,  at  Dearborn  and  Ohio  streets;  the  Union  Park  Baptist 
Church,  at  West  Lake  and  Sheldon  streets;  and  the  Zoar 
Baptist  Church  for  the  colored  people,  on  the  corner  of  Buffalo 
Street  (renamed  Fourth  Avenue)  and  Taylor  Street.  But  not 
one  of  those  churches  remains  where  it  was  in  1861,  while  the 
names  of  most  of  them  are  now  to  be  found  only  in  history. 


76          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

The  First  Baptist  Church  was  organized  on  October  19, 
1833,  a  little  more  than  two  months  after  the  town  of  Chicago 
was  organized.  It  had  the  first  church  building  erected  in 
Chicago,  called  the  Temple  Building,  because  it  was  built 
mainly  through  the  efforts  of  Dr.  John  D.  Temple.  The  build- 
ing was  near  the  corner  of  Franklin  and  South  Water  streets 
and  had  a  second  story  that  was  used  for  school  purposes.  Other 
denominations  were  also  given  much  use  of  the  church  part. 
The  Tabernacle  Baptist  Church  was  organized  on  August  14, 
1843,  by  members  dismissed  for  that  purpose  from  the  First 
Baptist  Church.  It  was  composed  largely  of  the  antislavery 
party  of  the  First  Church,  and  passed  a  resolution  declaring 
"that  slavery  is  a  great  sin  in  the  sight  of  God,  and,  while  we 
view  it  as  such,  we  will  not  invite  to  our  communion  or  pulpit 
those  who  advocate  or  justify,  from  civil  policy  or  the  Bible, 
the  principles  or  practice  of  slavery."  Such  was  the  church  that 
decided  that  it  must  have  Dr.  Colver  for  its  pastor,  and  to 
which  he  ministered  from  September  i,  1861,  until  in  the  early 
part  of  1865,  or  during  nearly  the  period  of  the  Civil  War,  a 
time  that  tried  men  in  many  ways,  took  the  best  of  the  younger 
ones  to  the  front,  and  distracted  those  who  remained  to  such  an 
extent  that  there  was  small  possibility  of  having  any  great 
revival  in  the  church.  This  made  the  need  and  the  work  of  the 
times  more  than  anything  else  the  spiritual  upbuilding  of  such 
members  of  the  church  as  there  were  left  at  home,  and,  as  far 
as  possible,  the  moral  strengthening  of  all  persons  of  all  classes 
drawn  to  the  services;  and  that  was  largely  the  work  that 
Dr.  Colver  did  during  this  pastorate.1 

'The  Christian  Times,  of  Chicago,  of  November  6,  1861,  said:  "At 
the  Tabernacle  Church,  Dr.  Colver  has  fully  entered  upon  pastoral  service, 
with  the  energy  and  eloquence  that  have  characterized  his  ministry  for 
so  many  years."  On  January  14,  1863,  the  Times,  after  mentioning  that 
on  the  preceding  Sabbath  Dr.  Colver  had  preached  twice  on  the  "Restora- 
tion of  the  Backslider  to  Divine  Favor,"  in  the  evening  delineating  the 
emotions  of  the  restored,  said:  "  Dr.  Colver  is  one  of  the  able  preachers  of  Chi- 
cago, and  the  Tabernacle  Church  has  never  been  more  prosperous  than  now." 


PASTORATES  IN  OTHER  PLACES          77 

When  President  Lincoln,  on  April  10,  1862,  called  on  the 
people  at  their  next  weekly  assemblages  to  render  thanks  to 
God  for  recent  victories,  and  to  invoke  the  divine  guidance  for 
our  national  councils,  that  they  might  speedily  result  in  the 
restoration  of  peace,  harmony,  and  equity  throughout  our 
borders,  Dr.  Colver  preached  on  Sunday,  April  13,  from  the 
text:  "And  rejoice  with  trembling."1 

Dr.  Colver  said  in  the  course  of  his  sermon  that  "God  has 
never  relinquished  his  right  to  rule  over  the  world.  Kings, 
judges,  and  nations  may  spurn  his  law,  and  trample  upon  his 
authority,  but  not  with  impunity His  mercies  are  infi- 
nite, and  we  have  reason  to  rejoice  in  the  visitations  of  his  love ; 
still,  in  view  of  his  justice  and  our  sinfulness — of  the  sinfulness 
of  our  nation,  we  have  reason  to  'rejoice  with  trembling.'  .... 
The  present  peaceful  attitude  of  foreign  nations  toward  us,  and 
the  recent  victories  over  our  traitorous  foes  at  home,  are  indeed 
occasions  for  gratitude  to  Almighty  God,  for  his  signal  inter- 
position. Cheerfully  do  we  respond  to  the  call  of  our  beloved 
President,  to  render  thanks  to  God.  But,  in  doing  so,  well 
may  we  take  heed  to  the  exhortation  of  our  text,  to  'rejoice 
with  trembling/  ' 

Looking  at  the  situation  from  a  military  point  of  view, 
Dr.  Colver  said  that  the  end  was  not  yet.  "  Before  we  welcome 
the  return  of  peace  to  our  borders,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
a  fearful  amount  of  treasure  and  of  blood  will  be  demanded. 
Many  precious  lives  are  yet  to  be  sacrificed The  ele- 
ments of  Southern  society  are  peculiar,  and  well  adapted  to  a 
stubborn  and  protracted  struggle.  The  knowledge  and  wealth 
of  the  South  are  not  distributed  among  the  masses,  but  mostly 
confined  to  the  favored  few.  The  slaveholders  are  an  oligarchy, 
ruling  the  masses  of  the  poor  and  ignorant  with  almost  despotic 
sway.  Having  the  key  of  knowledge,  they  can  modify  and  con- 
trol the  masses  to  any  extent  they  please.  That  ruling  oligarchy 

1  Psalms  2:11. 


78          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

have  staked  their  all  upon  the  issue  of  this  conflict The 

entire  wealth,  and  mind,  and  muscle  of  the  South  are  at  their 
command.  Until  they  have  exhausted  their  resources,  they  will 
not  yield.  Hard,  and  costly,  and  bloody  fighting  is  yet  between 
us  and  peace." 

From  a  political  point  of  view,  the  prospects  appeared  darker 
still  to  Dr.  Colver,  who  went  on  to  say  that  "this  disruption  of 
our  peace  is  not  without  a  cause.  It  is  now  obvious  to  all  that 
that  cause  is  American  slavery.  That  which  we  should  have 
learned  by  the  light  of  nature,  and  the  teachings  of  sound  phi 
losophy,  but  which  we  had  determined  not  to  learn,  we  have  now 
learned  by  bitter  experience,  namely,  that  slavery  and  liberty 
cannot  quietly  dwell  together  in  the  same  republic.  They  never 
have.  They  never  will Slavery  must  die,  or  all  well- 
grounded  hope  of  peace  expires.  But  will  it  die?  Is  there 
moral  light  enough  ?  Is  there  faith  enough  in  the  higher  law  ? 
Oh,  is  there  enough  of  far-seeing  patriotism  in  the  land  to 
pluck  up  that  root  of  bitterness  and  put  an  end  to  that  fatal 
disturber  of  our  nation's  peace  ?" 

In  order  to  secure  the  permanent,  prosperous  peace  of  the 
country,  Dr.  Colver  declared  the  restoration  of  the  conscience 
of  the  nation  to  be  indispensable.  As  the  result  of  careful 
observation  and  much  thought,  he  said:  "It  is  my  solemn  con- 
viction that  the  present  state  of  the  nation's  conscience  forbids 
the  hope  of  permanent  peace  in  the  country.  Emperors  and 
despots  may  rule  a  people  destitute  of  conscience.  But  the 
safety  of  a  republic  is  found  only  in  the  right  state  of  the  public 
conscience.  The  want  of  it  destroyed  the  republics  of  Greece 
and  Rome,  and  gave  them  over  to  suicidal  strifes  within.  The 
want  of  it  numbered  the  days  of  the  French  Republic.  And 
the  fearful  progress  of  this  moral  disease  is  now  preying  upon 
the  vitality  of  our  own  country.  Without  conscience,  without 
conscience  trained  to  fear  God  and  to  hold  the  higher  law,  the 
law  of  eternal  right,  as  paramount  and  authoritative,  no  repub- 


PASTORATES  IN  OTHER  PLACES  79 

lican  government  can  long  stand.  As  well  might  the  stars  keep 
their  course  if  the  great  central  law  of  attraction  were  broken 

up.     Man  severed  from  his  God  is  loosed  from  his  fellow 

As  the  national  conscience  can  be  restored  only  by  the  restora- 
tion of  the  consciences  of  the  nation,  let  us  serve  God  with 
fear,  'and  rejoice  with  trembling.'  Let  us  use  every  legitimate 
means  to  reach,  and  quicken,  and  elevate,  and  purify  the 
individual  consciences  of  all  around  us  and  with  whom  we  come 
into  contact.  We  shall  then  contribute  our  mite  toward  the 
desired  end."1 

The  year  1864  was  a  notable  one  in  the  Baptist  church 
history  of  Chicago,  on  account  of  the  sale  that  year  by  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  its  centrally  located  site,  which  it  sold 
to  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  $65,000.  It  gave  a  portion 
of  the  proceeds  to  the  other  Baptist  churches  of  the  city,  except 
that  to  the  Tabernacle  Baptist  Church  it  gave,  instead  thereof, 
its  brick  church  building  and  fixtures,  which  were  valued  at 
$10,000  and  were  not  included  in  the  sale.  The  building,  erected 
in  1854,  had  been  a  prominent  feature  of  its  locality,  second 
only  to  the  courthouse.  It  was  particularly  famous  for  its  tall 
shapely  spire,  which,  while  not  exceptionally  high,  was  admired 
by  competent  judges  as  well-nigh  architecturally  and  artistically 
perfect.  The  First  Church  got  a  new  site,  on  the  southwest 
corner  of  Wabash  Avenue  and  Hubbard  Court,  where  it  erected, 
at  an  expense  of  $175,000,  what  was  said  to  be  the  largest 
Protestant  church  edifice  at  that  time  in  the  West,  which  would 
seat  two  thousand  persons.  This  was  dedicated  in  1866,  and 
was  destroyed  by  the  Great  Fire  of  1871.  The  Tabernacle 
Baptist  Church  had  the  building  which  was  given  to  it  taken 
down  and  removed  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Morgan  and 
Monroe  streets,  on  the  west  side  of  the  city,  where  it  was 

1  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  D.D.,  sermon  preached  on  April  13,  1862,  and, 
at  the  request  of  the  congregation,  published  in  the  Christian  Times  of 
April  23,  1862. 


8o  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

re-erected,  with  some  few  changes  in  it,  yet  so  that  it  presented 
much  the  same  appearance  as  it  had  before.  It  still  stands 
there,  being  used  now  as  a  Baptist  institutional  church  center, 
called  Aiken  Institute. 

Along  with  its  prospective  change  of  location  and  the 
acquisition  of  a  larger  house  of  worship,  the  Tabernacle  Baptist 
Church,  on  April  5,  1864,  changed  its  name,  or  was  reorganized, 
with  an  addition  to  its  membership  from  the  First  Church,  to 
be  called  the  Second  Baptist  Church.  Toward  the  end  of  that 
year,  Dr.  Colver,  on  his  own  initiative,  suggested  that  with  the 
entrance  into  the  new  field  a  younger  man  should  be  called  to 
the  pastorate,  as  the  work  would  need  such  a  one;  which  sug- 
gestion was  adopted.  Dr.  Colver  resigned,  his  resignation  to 
take  effect  in  December,  but  he  was  requested  to  continue  his 
services  until  the  new  pastor  was  ready  to  take  up  his  duties. 
The  dedicatory  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr.  Colver  on  Sunday, 
January  8,  1865.  His  ministry  left  such  a  strong  impress  on 
the  church  that  it  may  still  be  traced,  through  many  vicis- 
situdes, in  the  Second  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago  of  today. 

Dr.  Colver  perhaps  intended  that  this  should  be  his  last 
regular  pastoral  work;  but  he  was  induced  to  enter  again  into 
the  work,  this  time  for  the  Fifth  Baptist  Church,  a  new  name 
for  the  Berean  Baptist  Church,  which  was  probably  organized 
in  1856,  although  the  date  is  sometimes  given  as  1859.  The 
Christian  Times  and  Witness,  of  Chicago,  of  December  14,  1865, 
reporting  on  the  observance  of  the  national  Thanksgiving  in  the 
city,  said  that  Dr.  Colver  preached  in  the  Fifth  Church  to  a 
large  congregation.  His  subject  was  ''National  Thanksgiving 
for  Emancipation."1  "It  was  an  interesting  service;  in  the 
sermon  a  great  subject  was  well  handled."  The  same  paper, 
on  February  i,  1866,  said  that  a  brother  in  the  Fifth  Church 

1  Psalms  105:1-2,  was  the  text:  "O  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord;  call 
upon  his  name:  make  known  his  deeds  among  the  people.  Sing  unto  him, 
sing  psalms  unto  him:  talk  ye  of  all  his  wondrous  works." 


PASTORATES  IN  OTHER  PLACES          81 

wrote,  on  Monday:  "We  had  a  good  day  yesterday.  The 
house  was  uncomfortably  filled,  both  morning  and  evening. 
Two  heads  of  families  were  baptized.  Dr.  Colver,  our  pastor, 
never  seemed  in  better  health,  and  he  was  'in  the  Spirit. "  On 
June  13,  1867,  the  paper  said:  "Yesterday  at  the  Fifth  Church 
was  a  'good  day  in  Zion.'  Dr.  Colver  preached  his  farewell 
sermon  to  the  church1  from  this  text,  'Finally,  brethren,  fare- 
well.'3 It  was  a  solemn  meeting."  The  Fifth  Baptist  Church, 
a  history  of  Chicago  says,  prospered  until  1867,  under  the  minis- 
tration of  its  prior  pastor  and  of  Dr.  Colver;  and  then,  becoming 
ambitious  and  looking  upon  their  modest  edifice  as  quite  too 
small  for  so  large  and  prosperous  a  city,  they  determined  to 
erect  a  large  and  magnificent  building,  which  was  only  partly 
completed,  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  an  insurance  company, 
after  which  the  church  disbanded.3 

During  all  of  these  pastorates,  Dr.  Colver  had  frequent  calls 
from  Baptist  churches  in  surrounding  places  and  states  to  preach 
or  to  speak  on  special  occasions,  to  participate  in  church  coun- 
cils, and  to  help  settle  local  church  troubles,  in  liberal  response 
to  which  requests  he  rendered  valuable  services  and  preached 
many  sermons  that  were  long  cherished  in  the  memories  of 
those  who  heard  them. 

1  Dr.  Colver  had  already  left  Chicago,  but  had  returned  in  order  to 
attend  the  Baptist  Anniversaries,  which  were  held  in  Chicago  that  year. 

all  Cor.  13:11. 

3  A.  T.  Andreas,  History  of  Chicago  (Chicago:  A.  T.  Andreas,  1884), 
I,  32i. 


CHAPTER  V 
WORK  IN  CHICAGO  FOR  MINISTERIAL  EDUCATION 

Chicago,  in  1861,  when  Dr.  Colver  went  there  to  make  it 
his  home  and  to  work  for  the  Master,  was  in  many  respects 
different  from  the  Chicago  of  today,  just  as  the  youth  is  different 
from  the  man  that,  in  the  course  of  tune,  he  becomes.  The  city 
was  then  in  what  may  be  termed  its  youthful,  plastic  stage,  want- 
ing in  many  things,  yet  giving  promise  of  its  future  greatness. 

To  begin  with,  it  was  but  twenty-eight  years  since  Chicago 
was  organized  as  a  town,  by  the  election  of  five  trustees.  That 
occurred  on  August  10,  1833.  It  had  then  twenty-eight  voters, 
and  a  population  of  150,  according  to  one  estimate,  or  350  by 
another.  It  was  incorporated  as  a  city  on  March  4,  1837,  on 
July  i  of  which  year  the  first  official  census  was  taken,  showing 
a  population  of  4,179.  Moreover,  as  late  as  1840,  it  was  still 
known  as  a  government  trading  post  on  the  extreme  Indian 
frontier.  But  by  1850  it  had  grown  in  population  to  be  the 
twentieth  city  in  size  in  the  United  States;  and  by  1860,  to  be 
the  ninth,  having  had  in  that  decade  the  greatest  percentage 
of  increase  of  any  city.  Its  population  was  then  given  as 
109,263  by  the  federal  census. 

For  those  who  know  something  as  to  the  location  of  the 
streets,  it  is  interesting  to  recall  that  the  original  boundaries  of 
the  city  were  Madison,  Des  Plaines,  Kinzie,  and  State  streets. 
In  1 86 1,  the  city  limits  were  Lake  Michigan,  on  the  east;  Fuller- 
ton  Avenue,  on  the  north;  Western  Avenue,  on  the  west;  and 
on  the  south,  the  Chicago  River  to  Halsted  Street,  Halsted 
Street  to  Thirty-first  Street,  and  Thirty-first  Street  to  the  lake. 
By  the  third  extension  of  the  city  limits,  under  the  enabling  act 

82 


WORK  FOR  MINISTERIAL  EDUCATION  83 

of  February  13,  1863,  Egan  Avenue,  afterward  called  Thirty- 
ninth  Street,  now  Pershing  Road,  was  made  the  boundary  on 
the  south,  from  Western  Avenue  to  the  lake. 

In  1859  State  Street  was  paved  with  cobblestones  to 
Twelfth  Street,  now  Roosevelt  Road,  and  south  of  that  there 
was  a  plank  road  to  what  was  called  "Cottage  Grove,"  later 
the  site  of  Camp  Douglas.  In  that  or  in  the  following  year  a 
single-track  horse  railway,  with  turnouts,  was  laid  on  State 
Street,  from  Randolph  Street  to  Twenty-second  Street,  thence 
on  Twenty-second  Street  to  Cottage  Grove  Avenue,  and  on 
Cottage  Grove  Avenue  to  Thirty-first  Street.  Prior  to  that, 
omnibuses  furnished  the  only  means  of  local  transportation. 

Looking  over  the  heart  of  the  city  in  1861,  a  person  saw 
buildings  mostly  of  three  or  four  stories  in  height,  with  here 
and  there  one  of  five  stories.  These  buildings  were  chiefly  con- 
structed of  brick,  with  some  frame  ones,  and  now  and  then  one 
of  stone.  Lake  Street  was  the  principal  business  thoroughfare 
and  the  center  of  the  banking,  shopping,  and  wholesale  interests, 
although  business  was  spreading  out  on  to  La  Salle  Street  and 
beginning  to  invade  other  streets  as  far  south  as  Monroe  Street. 
Outside  of  the  business  district,  or  rather  beginning  in  it,  and 
spreading  toward  the  north,  the  west,  and  the  south,  for  some 
blocks,  were  residences,  mainly  of  one  and  one-half  or  two 
stories  in  height,  and  of  frame  construction.  La  Salle,  Wash- 
ington, Madison,  and  Monroe  streets  were  still  used  principally 
for  residential  purposes,  while  on  Washington  Street  was  where 
the  fashionable  set  lived.  Gardens  were  also  so  much  of  a 
feature  of  the  city  that  it  became  known  as  the  "  Garden  City." 

The  secret  of  Chicago's  rapid  growth  in  population  and 
destined  greatness  was  in  its  location.  This  natural  advantage 
was  developed  in  such  a  manner  that  by  1861  the  city  was  a  great 
railroad  center,  with  railroad  connections  not  only  to  the  east, 
but  reaching  into  all  parts  of  the  great  western  and  northwestern 
sections  that  were  fast  being  settled,  for  which  it  was  the 


84  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

natural  gateway  and  trade  center.  It  was  also  an  important 
shipping  point  by  water,  due  to  its  favorable  location  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  Michigan  with  the  Chicago  River  for  a  harbor. 
It  had  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  commodious  grain  elevators,  and 
quite  a  number  of  manufacturing  plants.  It  was  a  great  grain, 
live-stock,  and  lumber  market,  and  wholesale  distributing  point. 

Nor  was  its  development  up  to  that  time  wholly  material. 
The  preceding  half  a  dozen  or  so  years  had  been  especially  rich 
in  the  establishment  of  churches,  educational,  and  other  insti- 
tutions, some  of  which  would,  in  their  way,  keep  pace  with  the 
growth  of  the  city.  The  first  University  of  Chicago  was  fairly 
started,  and  connected  with  it  was  a  law  school.  The  Presby- 
terians and  Congregationalists  had  each  a  theological  seminary. 
There  were  three  medical  colleges:  Rush,  Hahnemann,  and  the 
Chicago;  a  college  of  pharmacy,  hospitals,  dispensaries,  and 
asylums.  There  were  fifteen  public  schools,  including  one 
high  school;  also  several  libraries.  The  Chicago  Academy  of 
Sciences  and  the  Chicago  Historical  Society  had  been  founded. 

The  first  University  of  Chicago  was  incorporated  on  April  2, 
1857.  It  was  fostered  by  the  Baptists;  but  it  was  opened,  in 
the  autumn  of  1858,  in  St.  Paul's  Universalist  Church,  which 
stood  on  the  corner  of  Wabash  Avenue  and  Van  Buren  Street. 
On  September  19,  1859,  it  began  the  scholastic  year  in  its  new 
building,  which  was  located  on  a  campus  of  ten  acres  of  ground 
in  Cottage  Grove,  donated  by  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  Its  location 
was  variously  described  as  "Cottage  Grove  Avenue,  adjacent 
to  the  city  limits,"  "Cottage  Grove  Avenue,  terminus  of  State 
Street  horse  railway,"  and  as  "  within  four  miles  of  the  court- 
house, on  the  route  of  the  Cottage  Grove  horse  cars,  within  a 
few  steps  of  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan."  The  Chicago  City 
Directory  for  1865-66  said:  "The  location  of  the  University 
is  on  the  high  gravelly  beach  of  Lake  Michigan,  embracing 
ten  acres  of  ground,  covered  by  a  beautiful  natural  grove,  on 
the  line  of  the  State  Street  horse  railway."  It  also  described  the 


WORK  FOR  MINISTERIAL  EDUCATION  85 

"main  building,"  which  was  the  only  building,  as  "136  by  172 
feet,  of  Athens  stone,"  and  as  the  "finest  college  edifice  in  the 
West,  with  nothing  wanting  in  recitation  rooms,  halls,  chemical 
laboratory,  cabinet,  gymnasium,  etc.  The  rooms  for  students, 
arranged  in  suites  of  a  study  and  two  bedrooms,  in  convenience, 
ventilation,  are  all  that  can  be  desired."  The  City  Directory  for 
1866-67  gave  the  additional  information  that  "the  'Dearborn 
Tower,'  which  stands  connected  with  the  main  edifice  of  the 
college  group,  contains  the  celebrated  Alvan  Clark  telescope, 
the  largest  refractor  in  the  world,  having  an  object  glass  of  i8j 
inches  aperture,  and  a  focal  length  of  23  feet." 

But  as  good  as  the  first  University  of  Chicago  was  for  a 
new  institution  and  measured  by  the  standards  of  those  times, 
Dr.  Colver  had  not  been  in  Chicago  long  before  he  was  impressed 
with  the  great  need  that  there  was  still  for  some  provision,  in 
that  important,  rapidly  growing  center,  for  specially  training 
men  for  the  Baptist  ministry,  in  addition  to  what  the  University 
was  prepared  to  do  for  them,  which  was  principally  to  give  them 
a  liberal,  classical  education  under  Christian  auspices.  He  had 
long  felt  the  need  of  the  denomination  everywhere  for  more 
ministers,  and  for  properly  trained  ones.  In  fact,  he  realized 
from  the  beginning  of  his  own  ministry  the  scarcity  of  laborers 
in  the  Master's  vineyard,  and  for  many  years  he  tried  to  do 
several  men's  work  by  going  about  over  large  sections  of  the 
country,  preaching  to  churches  which  had  no  pastors  and  in 
places  where  there  were  no  churches  because  there  was  no  one 
to  plant  and  to  care  for  them.  Then,  when  he  could  personally 
do  less  of  that  work,  he  began  looking  out  and  encouraging 
suitable  young  men  to  enter  the  ministry,  giving  more  and  more 
of  his  time  to  aiding  them  in  their  preparation  for  it. 

Another  striking  thing  in  this  connection  was  the  importance 
which  he  attached  to  the  need  of  more  attention  being  given  by 
the  church  to  determining  concerning  the  call  of  young  men  to  the 
ministry,  which  was  probably  first  impressed  upon  him  by  his 


86          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

own  experience,  when  he  was  almost  forced  to  preach  though  he 
thought  that  he  could  not  do  it.  His  views  on  the  subject  were 
expressed  in  a  sermon  which  he  preached  before  the  Boston 
Baptist  Association,  in  1847,  from  the  text:  "For  necessity  is 
laid  upon  me;  yea,  woe  is  unto  me,  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel!"1 
In  the  course  of  the  sermon  he  said:  "If  the  thoughts  of  any 
young  man  are  turned  toward  the  ministry,  he  should  allow 
himself  to  be  governed  by  no  sudden  impulse  or  vague  desire  or 
impression.  He  should  bring  himself  to  the  standard  which 
God  has  set  up,  and  judge  soberly  in  view  of  the  facts,  as  he  does 
in  other  cases.  But  it  is  not  safe  to  rely  too  sanguinely  upon 
his  own  judgment.  The  influence  of  pride  and  ambition  on  the 
one  hand,  or  of  modesty  and  diffidence  on  the  other,  is  so  subtle 
as  to  endanger  the  soundness  of  his  decision.  The  antidote, 
both  of  vanity  and  of  self-distrust,  is  found  in  the  safer  judgment 
of  the  church.  The  called  of  God  have  generally  felt  a  great 
shrinking  in  view  of  their  own  unworthiness  for  such  a  work." 
Again,  he  said  that  he  wished  that  the  church  would  discover 
and  call  out  her  gifts,  instead  of  leaving  it  to  the  control  of 
juvenile  impressions  or  to  the  wisdom  of  inexperienced  youth. 
Were  this  the  case,  she  would  be  better  guarded  and  better 
furnished,  while  modest  worth  would  be  brought  out  and  made 
available,  and  many  a  gem  that  now  lies  useless  in  the  mass 
would  be  brought  from  the  quarry  and  made  to  shine  as  a  star 
in  the  breastplate  of  our  spiritual  Aaron. 

Other  themes  than  this,  of  the  call  of  God  to  the  ministry, 
"  might  have  given  us,"  he  said,  "  a  wider  field,  and  spread  before 
us  a  richer  luxury  for  the  passing  hour.  But  I  am  persuaded 
that  few  subjects  are  more  intimately  connected  with  the  vital 
interests  of  the  churches  at  the  present  time.  Many  churches 
are  destitute  of  pastors  and  teachers,  while,  at  the  same  time, 
there  are  many  ministers  for  whose  labors  there  seems  to  be  no 
opening.  Many  have  left,  and  are  leaving,  the  ministry  for 

1 1  Cor.  9:16. 


WORK  FOR  MINISTERIAL  EDUCATION  87 

other  professions.  These  startling  facts  proclaim  the  over- 
whelming importance  of  our  theme." 

As  throwing  some  light  on  the  call  to  the  ministry,  Dr.  Col- 
ver  said  that  Christ  selected  the  twelve  from  the  mass  of 
those  who  fell  under  his  observation  in  the  course  of  his  per- 
sonal and  early  ministrations.  But  after  a  few  brief  years  had 
passed,  in  his  view  an  instrument  varying  in  many  respects 
from  the  ones  already  chosen  was  demanded.  Hitherto,  the 
Lord  had  chosen  the  weak  things  of  this  world  to  confound  the 
mighty.  The  man  now  wanted  sat  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel. 
"  But,  for  such  a  work,  can  that  young  man  be  obtained  ?  Can 
that  wolf  be  tamed  ?  Can  that  pride  be  made  to  kiss  the  cross  ? 
Can  those  fearful  energies  be  withdrawn  from  that  mad  career, 
and  made  subservient  to  the  ministry  of  peace  and  love  ?  To 
these  thrilling  interrogations  our  text  is  an  answer.  The  proud 
Pharisee  is  the  weeping  penitent,  and  the  devouring  wolf  is 
henceforth  the  tender  shepherd  of  the  flock." 

On  taking  up  the  consideration  of  what  are  the  definite 
indications  of  a  call  to  the  ministry,  Dr.  Colver  began  by  saying 
that  personal  piety  is  not  one  of  them.  However  indispensable 
to  the  ministry — and  indispensable  it  surely  is— it  is  neverthe- 
less no  indication  of  a  call  to  preach.  Piety  is  common  to  all  the 
disciples.  Neither  is  a  desire  for  the  conversion  of  souls,  or  to 
do  good,  an  indication  of  a  call  to  preach.  This  exercise -is 
common  to  all  Christians,  and  ought  to  be  cherished  by  them 
all.  Such  a  desire  should  only  lead  us  to  inquire  what  is  our 
duty,  and  to  perform  it  when  known.  Nor  is  an  impression 
that  it  is  one's  duty  to  preach  an  indication  of  such  a  call. 

More  than  that,  Dr.  Colver  declared  that  "  the  doctrine  that 
the  Spirit  is  our  guide,  at  the  expense  or  neglect  of  the  Scriptures, 
is  the  prolific  fountain  of  fanaticism,  and  the  apology  for  satanic 
fraud  and  pious  infidelity.  This  is  one  of  the  devil's  chief  instru- 
ments of  mischief  to  the  devout.  If  he  can  possess  them  of  the 
impression  that  it  is  their  duty  to  preach,  they  are  thenceforth 


88          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

greatly  blinded  to  all  those  duties  which  in  reality  claim  their 
attention.  The  strength  of  their  pious  emotions,  and  the  author- 
ity of  the  Spirit,  are  appealed  to  to  strengthen  the  delusion, 
until  they  are  pushed  quite  out  of  the  sphere  of  their  usefulness, 
into  one  for  which  the  Lord  never  designed  them — a  sphere  in 
which  they  are  to  be  a  source  of  affliction  to  themselves  and  all 
concerned.  'Impression'!  'The  call  of  the  Spirit'!  These 
have  been  the  forged  commission  of  every  enthusiast  or  impostor 
whose  officiousness  has  ever  afflicted  the  church,  or  brought 
religion  into  reproach.  Impression,  as  the  result  of  sound  con- 
viction, is  good;  but,  as  the  basis  of  conviction,  it  is  illusive 
and  mischievous.  The  same  remarks  will  hold  good  with  refer- 
ence to  remarkable  dreams  and  the  almost  voiced  occurrence  of 
passages  of  Scripture  to  the  mind.  The  Lord  may,  indeed,  give 
good  dreams;  and  the  Spirit  may,  and  no  doubt  often  does, 
bring  Scripture  to  our  minds,  and  all  for  the  promotion  of  our 
piety,  and  the  enlargement  of  our  hearts.  But  neither  dreams, 
however  pious,  nor  the  fact  that  Scripture  has  been  presented 
to  our  minds,  is  to  be  relied  upon  as  a  source  of  knowledge,  or 
to  be  referred  to  as  a  standard  of  particular  duty.  Satan  can 
make  dreams,  and  quote  Scripture  even  to  the  Son  of  God  him- 
self, and  that,  too,  with  the  direct  intention  to  mislead  as  to 
duty.  Our  sole  security  from  his  devices  is  to  take  everything 
'to  the  law  and  to  the  testimony:  if  they  speak  not  according 
to  this  word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them.'  "J 

There  are  two  scriptural  and  definite  indications  of  a  call  to 
preach,  neither  of  which  alone  is  sufficient;  but,  when  united, 
they  are  not  to  be  mistaken.  They  may  be  denominated  a 
preparation  in  nature,  and  a  preparation  in  grace.  The  first  is 
comprehended  in  the  ability  to  teach  others.2  On  those  having 

xlsa.  8:20. 

2  Paul  affirmed  to  Timothy  that  a  bishop  must  be  "apt  to  teach." — 
I  Tim.  3:2.  Again,  he  said:  "And  the  things  that  thou  hast  heard  of  me, 
among  many  witnesses,  the  same  commit  thou  to  faithful  men,  who  shall 
be  able  to  teach  others  also."— II  Tim.  2 : 2. 


WORK  FOR  MINISTERIAL  EDUCATION  89 

it,  Timothy  was  to  lay  his  hands;  not  on  those  who  thought  they 
could  preach,  or  desired  the  conversion  of  souls,  or  who  had 
had  a  wonderful  dream,  or  to  whose  mind  the  Scriptures  had 
strangely  occurred;  but  on  such  as  were  able  to  instruct  others. 
Ability  to  teach  is  an  indispensable  mark.  Without  this,  piety, 
or  faithfulness,  or  all  of  the  common  graces  of  Christianity  will 
be  in  vain,  and  no  indication  of  a  call  to  preach.  Yet  this  gift 
alone  is  not  a  sure  indication  of  a  call  to  preach;  but  with  a 
preparation  in  grace,  it  is.  This  preparation  may  be  more 
difficult  to  explain  and  require  more  care  and  experience  to 
distinguish  than  the  other,  still  it  is  no  less  definite  or  indis- 
pensable to  a  call  to  preach. 

A  further,  and  perhaps  even  better,  suggestion  of  Dr.  Col- 
ver's  views  on  the  character  of  those  who  are  called  to  the 
ministry,  and  the  training  that  is  desirable  for  them,  is  furnished 
when  he  goes  on  to  say  that  "it  will  be  seen  that  the  nature  of 
those  peculiar  gifts  which  indicate  a  call  to  the  ministry  are  such 
as  admit  of  and  demand  improvement.  That  man  who  is  '  apt 
to  teach,'  who  can  communicate  what  he  knows,  because  he 
knows  it  logically,  that  man,  on  the  peculiar  susceptibilities  of 
whose  mind  the  very  lineaments  of  the  gospel  are  stamped,  is 
worth  teaching.  He,  of  all  others,  is  worth  the  best  mental 
discipline  that  can  be  given  him.  Came  he  from  the  receipt  of 
custom,  from  the  fish  boat,  from  the  farmer's  plow,  from  the 
mechanic's  shop,  or  from  the  feet  of  some  presiding  Gamaliel 
over  our  universities — no  matter  whence;  he  is  worthy  of  the 
place  of  a  disciple  for  three  years  at  the  feet  of  Christ,  or  in  the 
best  school  of  the  prophets  which  can  be  furnished  him.  I 
should  like,  did  the  time  or  the  occasion  permit  it,  to  express  a 
few  thoughts  on  the  best  method  of  training  such  for  the  minis- 
try; but  I  can  say  only,  they  should  be  trained — thoroughly 
trained.  I  know  that  objections  are  felt  and  made  to  theological 
schools;  and  I  cannot  say  that  I  have  not,  to  some  extent, 
sympathized  with  those  doubts.  There  are  some  important 


90  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

respects  in  which  I  should  be  glad  to  see  a  change  in  the  manner 
of  ministerial  education.  But,  while  I  say  this,  I  am  free  to 
say  that  those  failures  which  to  any  extent  have  been  realized 
are  not  to  be  charged  to  the  schools  so  much  as  to  the  churches, 
for  sending  them  unpropitious  materials  upon  which  they  have 
had  to  operate.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  those 
young  men  who  exhibited  scriptural  indications  of  a  call  to 
preach  when  they  entered  have  derived  essential  benefit  from 
the  instruction  there  imparted.  It  is  not  the  province  of  the 
schools  to  make  ministers;  but  to  train  them."1 

The  conditions  which  Dr.  Colver  found  in  Chicago  were 
somewhat  peculiar.  The  city  was  beyond  any  doubt  a  strategic 
point.  The  founding  of  the  first  University  of  Chicago  by  the 
Baptists  was  clearly  the  part  of  denominational  wisdom,  if  all 
of  the  steps  afterward  taken  were  not.  The  University  was 
intended  largely  for  the  education  of  young  men  for  the  ministry, 
as  were  most  of  the  early  collegiate  institutions.  But  a  theo- 
logical seminary,  or  a  department  in  the  University  correspond- 
ing to  one,  was  no  less  necessary.  Many  persons  saw  that; 
and  some  preliminary  measures  were  taken  toward  establishing 
the  one  or  the  other,  but  for  years  little  progress  was  made. 
First  of  all,  beginning  with  the  panic  of  1857,  there  were  several 
years  of  financial  disturbance  that  interrupted  or  thwarted 
many  plans,  and  not  only  badly  crippled  the  University,  but 
made  many  of  the  friends  of  the  latter  averse  to  the  starting  of 
any  important  new  project,  lest  it  should  imperil  the  University 
or  perhaps  both  fail.  Then  the  Civil  War  broke  out  and  took  the 
most  and  the  best  of  the  young  men  for  its  service,  which  lasted 
well  into  the  year  1865,  leaving  very  few  to  take  up  the  study 
of  theology.  Besides  all  that,  there  were  a  great  many  cross- 
currents, hindering  jealousies  among  the  local  denominational 

1  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  A  Call  of  God  to  the  Christian  Ministry, 
Definite  and  Imperative.  A  sermon  preached  before  the  Boston  Baptist 
Association,  on  September  15, 1847,  and  published  by  request  of  the  Associa- 
tion (Boston:  William  D.  Ticknor  &  Co.,  1847). 


WORK  FOR  MINISTERIAL  EDUCATION  91 

leaders  of  that  time,  which  not  only  sadly  injured  the  University, 
but  affected  more  or  less  the  theological  seminary  enterprise. 

Not  a  little  of  what  Dr.  Colver  did  in  behalf  of  Baptist 
theological  education  in  Chicago  lay  in  the  fact  that,  while 
things  were  as  they  were,  he  quietly  and  unostentatiously  went 
ahead  alone  and  gathered  about  him  classes  of  young  men  to 
which  he  gave  theological  instruction,  thereby,  if  not  actually 
laying  the  foundation  of  the  Seminary,  at  least  helping  to  focus 
the  denominational  mind  on  the  subject  and  hastening  the  day 
when  effective  concerted  action  should  be  taken  and  a  seminary 
established.  There  is  no  record  of  just  when  he  began  this 
work  in  Chicago,  or  of  how  much  of  it  he  did,  but  the  Christian 
Times  of  September  22,  1864,  spoke  of  Dr.  Colver  as  having 
had  experience  in  teaching  "in  the  theological  classes  he  has 
been  accustomed,  year  by  year,  for  a  long  time  past,  to  gather 
around  him."  Beyond  that,  it  has  been  variously  stated  that 
he  taught  such  a  class  in  his  study  at  the  Tabernacle  Baptist 
Church,  also  during  the  time  that  he  was  the  pastor  of  the  latter 
after  it  became  called  the  Second  Baptist  Church,  and  that  he 
at  one  time  instructed  a  class  at  his  home.  Then,  the  fact  that 
he  was  doing  this  work,  coupled  with  his  recognized  ability  as  a 
preacher  and  as  a  teacher,  and  with  his  cheerful  readiness  for 
any  service  to  which  he  seemed  to  be  called,  especially  when  it 
was  one  which  lay  close  to  his  heart,  made  it  but  natural  that 
he  should  be  chosen  to  inaugurate  the  giving  of  the  first  regular 
theological  instruction  for  the  Seminary,  when  that  was  finally 
being  given  form,  the  instruction  being  given  by  him  at  the 
University  of  Chicago.  Furthermore,  he  had  a  large  part  in 
all  that  was  done  by  the  denomination  or  by  its  representa- 
tives, after  he  went  to  Chicago,  toward  founding  the  Seminary. 
He  was  instrumental,  too,  in  getting  $7,500  to  help  start  it. 

Mr.  Mial  Davis,  of  Burlington,  Vermont,  in  explaining, 
many  years  afterward,  the  origin  and  first  purpose  of  this  fund, 
as  well  as  its  ultimate  application  and  importance,  wrote  that 


92  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

"  that  great  preacher,  the  man  of  great  intellect  and  spiritual 
power,  Nathaniel  Colver,  ....  came  to  Burlington,  preaching 
in  the  First  Baptist  Church  on  the  Sabbath.  His  sweet  spirit 
and  deep  insight  into  God's  truth,  with  his  great  force  of  delivery, 
greatly  interested  Mr.  Lawrence  Barnes.  The  writer  was  not 
less  interested,  but  he  had  listened  to  Dr.  Colver 's  powerful 
preaching  in  Boston  twenty  years  before.  On  the  Monday 
following,  Dr.  Colver  wished  to  see  Mr.  Barnes  and  myself, 
and  an  interview  followed.  An  adjournment  was  made  till  we 
could  call  William  Cook,  of  Whitehall,  a  godly  man,  full  of  good 
deeds.  At  this  meeting,  held  at  the  home  of  the  writer,  Dr. 
Colver  said  substantially  this :  that  God  had  laid  upon  him  the 
work  of  providing  a  theological  seminary  for  the  West,  where 
young  men  called  to  the  ministry  could,  in  some  measure,  pre- 
pare themselves  for  their  great  work.  He  said  there  were  to  be 
a  great  number  of  them;  that  they  were  generally  poor,  and 
could  not  come  East  for  training  and  study.  With  great 
earnestness  he  pleaded  for  these  young  men.  He  continued, 
'The  churches  must  have  trained  pastors.'  As  he  walked  the 
floor  he  said,  'Oh,  we  must  have  the  Seminary.'  Then  he  told 
us  his  plan;  that  we  three  men  pledge  his  salary  for  five  years, 
at  $1,500  per  year,  while  he  should  work  it  up.  We  agreed  to 
this,  and  pledged  as  follows:  Lawrence  Barnes,  $3,000;  Wm. 
Cook,  $3,000;  Mial  Davis,  $1,500,  or  $7,500  for  the  five  years. 
Dr.  Colver  started  off  happy  ....  to  his  work.  Very  soon 
he  returned  to  us  and  said  that  God  had  blessed  him  in  pre- 
senting it,  so  that  he  was  sure  it  would  come.  'Now,'  he  says, 
'I  wish,  if  you  will,  to  pay  the  $7,500  as  the  commencement  of 

the  fund  for  the  institution.'    This  we  did The  Seminary 

came  up.  Dr.  G.  W.  Northup  has  said  to  the  writer  that  the  nest 
egg  of  the  Seminary  was  laid  in  Burlington,  which  was  true."1 

1  Rev.  Henry  Crocker,  History  of  the  Baptists  in  Vermont  (Bellows 
Falls:  The  P.  H.  Gobie  Press,  1913),  pp.  535-36.  Mr.  Davis  is  quoted 
there  as  stating  that  it  was  "in  June,  1867,"  that  the  events  first  narrated 


WORK  FOR  MINISTERIAL  EDUCATION  93 

As  early  as  1858  or  1859,  the  Baptists  of  the  West  and  the 
Northwest  discussed  the  need  of  establishing  a  Baptist  theo- 
logical seminary  at  some  point,  but  nothing  tangible  came  of  it. 
In  1860,  what  was  called  "The  Theological  Society  for  the 
Northwest"  was  formed,  at  a  meeting  of  Baptists  held  in 
Chicago,  which  showed  a  continuance  of  interest  in  the  same 
cause  and  more  of  a  determination  to  do  something  to  advance 
it,  and  that  is  about  all. 

It  may  have  been  only  a  coincidence,  but  not  long  after  the 
settlement  of  Dr.  Colver  in  Chicago,  or  September  24,  1861,  a 
society  was  organized  with  the  title  "The  Theological  Union 
of  Chicago."  The  date,  name,  and  fact  of  organization  were 
announced  in  a  communication  signed  by  "J.  B.  Olcott,  Cor. 
Sec'y-"1  which  appeared  in  the  Christian  Times  of  October  16, 
1 86 1.  He  went  on  to  state  that  "  the  object  of  the  Union  is  to 
provide  facilities  for  the  theological  education  of  young  men 
connected  with  our  University.  At  the  first  meeting  of  our 
board  measures  were  adopted  to  carry  out  the  design  of  the 
society,  by  arranging  for  courses  of  lectures  on  pastoral,  bibli- 
cal and  systematic  theology,  and  upon  ecclesiastical  history," 
Dr.  Colver  and  four  other  Baptist  ministers  of  the  city  being 
appointed  as  lecturers.  "The  following  note  is  annexed  to 
the  constitution:  'We,  the  persons  subscribing  to  the  fore- 
going constitution,  hereby  disclaim  any  attempt  to  prevent  or 


took  place,  which  date  would  seem  to  be  much  too  late,  but  there  is  nothing 
to  show  when  or  how  the  error  was  made,  if  it  was  an  error,  and  it  need 
not  count  against  the  general  intendment  of  the  other  statements,  made 
from  memory  by  a  man  who  apparently  remembered  the  transaction  with 
a  deep  and  continued  interest.  Dr.  Colver's  returning  "very  soon"  should 
also  perhaps  be  understood  as  meaning  "after  a  time,  or  comparatively 
soon, "  but  giving  time  enough  for  much  to  be  done  and  important  develop- 
ments to  be  seen. 

1  Rev.  James  B.  Olcott  was  then  the  financial  agent  of  the  University 
of  Chicago. 


94          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

embarrass  the  measure  of  building  up  a  theological  seminary  for 
the  Northwest,  in  which  it  is  expected  the  brethren  of  the  several 
states  will  unite.  But  the  Union  is  formed  to  meet  the  neces- 
sities of  young  men  now  congregated  at  the  University  of 
Chicago,  and  we  hold  this  Union  in  its  plans  and  aims  subject 
to  the  ascertained  wishes  of  the  Baptist  denomination  of  the 
Northwest/  "  The  lecture  plan  stated  was  tried,  but  it  was 
ultimately  abandoned,  and  the  Theological  Union  apparently 
did  little  or  nothing  more  of  practical  value  for  the  furtherance 
of  its  object. 

Then,  in  1863,  what  was  named  "The  Baptist  Theological 
Union,"  was  formally  organized  at  what  was  said  to  be  a  large 
meeting  held  at  the  First  Baptist  Church.  Whether  or  not  it 
should  be  considered  as  only  a  more  or  less  direct  continuation, 
with  reorganization,  of  the  Theological  Union  formed  in  1861, 
it  indicated  a  new  determination.  However,  it  was  slow  in  the 
accomplishment  of  results.  This  was  shown  by  the  fact  that, 
on  September  22,  1864,  under  the  heading  "The  Baptist  Theo- 
logical Union,"  the  Christian  Times  said  that  this  would  be  a 
new  name  to  many  of  its  readers.  It  then  explained  that 
brethren  in  Chicago  and  in  the  Northwest  had  felt  for  a  long 
time  that  provision  for  theological  teaching  was  needed  in  that 
city,  commensurate  in  its  scope  with  what  was  contemplated  in 
the  University  of  Chicago.  "  An  effort  is  in  progress  to  endow 
two  chairs.  Provision  for  one  of  these,  it  is  expected,  will  be 
made  in  the  state  of  Indiana,  and  the  board  have  tendered  the 
professorship,  when  endowed,  to  Rev.  Silas  Bailey,  D.D.,  of 
that  state.  To  the  other,  Rev.  N.  Colver,  D.D.,  has  been  called 
in  a  similar  way,  it  being  expected  that  the  endowment  will  be 

procured  in  other  parts  of  the  general  field The  names 

of  the  two  brethren  who  are  expected  to  enter  this  service  are 
names  loved  throughout  the  West.  Both  of  these  brethren 
have  had  experience  in  teaching:  Dr.  Bailey,  for  many  years 
as  president  of  Franklin  College,  and  Dr.  Colver  in  the  theo- 


WORK  FOR  MINISTERIAL  EDUCATION  95 

logical  classes  he  has  been  accustomed,  year  by  year,  for  a  long 
time  past,  to  gather  around  him  ....  while  of  Dr.  Colver's 
remarkable  facility  and  power  in  the  unfolding  and  illustration 
of  Bible  truth  it  is  unnecessary  to  speak.  His  pupils  find  these 
qualities  fully  as  marked  in  the  classroom  as  in  the  pulpit,  and 
many  a  zealous  preacher  has  thus  begun  a  new  life  in  his  minis- 
try  He  is  always  welcome  wherever  he  goes."  Still, 

this  plan,  like  all  of  the  other  plans  thus  far  made,  for  some 
reason  failed. 

In  1865,  by  a  special  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
state  of  Illinois,  approved  on  February  16,  "The  Baptist 
Theological  Union,  located  at  Chicago,"  was  incorporated,  the 
object  of  this  incorporation  being  stated  to  be  "the  founding, 
endowment,  support,  and  direction  of  an  institution  for  theo- 
logical instruction  to  be  styled '  The  Chicago  Baptist  Theological 
Institute.' '  The  name  of  "Nathaniel  Colver"  appears  second 
in  the  list  of  fifteen  incorporators. 

Thus,  in  general  outline,  did  six  or  eight  years  pass  with 
reference  to  the  establishment  of  Baptist  theological  instruction 
in  Chicago,  for  that  city  and  for  the  Northwest.  Then  there 
came  a  change.  On  February  22,  1866,  the  Christian  Times 
and  Witness  published  a  special  notice,  with  the  heading  "The 
Baptist  Theological  Union,"  that  "pending  the  regular  and 
formal  opening  of  the  Theological  Institute  being  founded  by 
this  society,  Dr.  Colver,  by  direction  of  the  board  of  trustees, 
will  open  a  class  for  instruction  in  doctrinal  and  practical 
theology,  at  the  University.  Instruction  will  commence  on  the 
first  day  of  March  next.  Rooms  for  the  accommodation  of 
students  will  be  furnished  at  the  University,  until  other  arrange- 
ments are  completed.  The  instruction  given  will  be  adapted 
to  the  special  wants  of  the  brethren  who  attend,  and  all  pastors, 
or  others,  who  would  feel  it  a  privilege  to  enjoy  the  advantages 
of  the  class,  are  invited  to  join  it.  Board  at  the  University 
can  be  obtained  for  four  dollars  per  week.  The  tuition  will 


96  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

be  free."  Referring  to  this  notice,  the  paper  said,  under 
" Baptist  Matters  in  Chicago,"  that  "it  will  be  seen  that  Dr. 
Colver,  under  instructions  of  the  board  of  the  Theological 
Union,  is  to  open  a  class  in  theology  at  the  University,  on  the 
first  of  March.1  Accommodations  are  there  furnished  for  this 
purpose,  while  more  permanent  arrangements  are  being  made. 
The  board  has  purchased  ground,  fronting  upon  University 
Square,  for  the  buildings  of  the  theological  school.  The  endow- 
ment of  professorships  is  also  making  progress,  and  the  school 
may  be  regarded  as,  in  the  good  time  Providence  may  appoint, 
as  much  a  certainty  as  anything  future  in  the  plans  of  men  can 
be.  In  the  meantime  it  has  been  thought  best  for  Dr.  Colver 
to  receive  such  brethren  as  may  wish  to  enjoy  his  instructions, 
and  to  that  end  this  announcement  is  made.  Applications  and 
inquiries  may  be  addressed  to  Rev.  N.  Colver,  D.D.,  Chicago." 
On  August  30,  1866,  the  Christian  Times  and  Witness  said 
that  "during  a  considerable  portion  of  last  year,  as  our  readers 
are  already  aware,  Dr.  Colver  conducted  a  theological  class  at 
the  University  building  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of 
the  board.  This  is  regarded  as  the  commencement  of  work  in 
the  Theological  Seminary,  for  whose  complete  equipment  meas- 
ures are  now  pressed  as  rapidly  as  possible.  With  the  opening 
of  the  next  University  year,  on  the  tenth  of  September,  Dr. 
Colver's  class  will  be  resumed."  On  September  20,  the  paper 
said:  "We  are  happy  to  announce  that  the  prospects  of  our 
Seminary  are  unexpectedly  brightening By  the  asso- 
ciation of  Rev.  J.  C.  C.  Clarke  with  Dr.  Colver,  arrangement  is 
made  for  the  immediate  beginning  of  a  fuller  course  in  the  usual 

1  The  General  Catalogue  of  the  Baptist  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
1867-1892  (2d  ed.,  1892),  after  referring,  in  its  historical  statement,  to 
the  Baptist  Theological  Union,  says  that  "under  direction  of  this  organi- 
zation Dr.  Nathaniel  Colver  gave  some  lectures  ....  in  the  University 
in  1865-66,  and  in  the  fall  of  1866,  assisted  by  Rev.  J.  C.  C.  Clarke,  began 
more  regular  instruction";  while  under  "The  Instructors,  from  Origin  to 
1867,"  it  gives  "Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  D.D.,  1865-67,"  and,  "Rev. 
John  C.  C.  Clarke,  1866-67." 


WORK  FOR  MINISTERIAL  EDUCATION  97 

branches  of  theological  study.  Dr.  Colver,  full  of  vigor  and 
heart,  will  continue  his  lectures  on  theology,  and  give  church 

order  the  benefit  of  his  ripe  and  varied  experience These 

brethren  are  in  hearty  accord  in  their  work.  They  design  to 
arrange  the  studies  conformably  to  a  complete  systematic 
course ;  but  also  to  give  each  student  just  such  help  as  he  may 
most  need,  whether  by  aiding  him  in  extra  studies,  or  allowing 
a  partial  or  protracted  course.  They  are  earnestly  anxious  that 
the  Seminary  may  be  a  help  to  loving,  spiritual,  active  piety. 
The  classes  are  now  formed,  and  new  students  will  be  welcomed 
to  immediate  entrance  upon  their  studies.  They  may  meet 
the  professors  at  Dr.  Colver's  room  in  the  University."1  On 
October  n,  the  announcement  was  published  that  "one  pro- 
fessorship, that  now  held  by  Dr.  Colver,  is  regarded  as  endowed." 
On  January  31,  1867,  the  Christian  Times  and  Witness  said  that, 
"Good  work  is  being  done  at  the  Theological  Seminary  by  Dr. 
Colver  and  Professor  Clarke.  Dr.  Colver  has  now  two  classes 
daily,  and  both  his  instructions  and  those  of  Professor  Clarke 

are  highly  valued A  very  important  service,  in  every  view, 

is  being  rendered  by  those  in  charge."  On  February  14,  the 
paper  said:  "We  feel  that  a  word  is  due,  here,  to  the  excellent 
brethren  who  have,  for  months  past,  been  doing  a  very  impor- 
tant work  in  connection  with  the  school  itself.  It  has  fallen  to 
their  lot,  as  to  many  good  and  great  men  often  before,  to  labor 
amidst  the  discouragements  of 'the  day  of  small  things.'  .  .  .  . 
Outside  of  the  classroom  it  has  been  well  known  what  faithful, 
well-directed,  acceptable  service  was  being  done  by  Dr.  Colver 

and  Professor  Clarke They  have  been  first  among  the 

teachers,  and  the  first  to  make  an  enduring  mark  upon  the  minds 
and  characters  of  young  men  preparing  for  the  ministry." 

It  has  been  stated  that  one  of  Dr.  Colver's  students,  while 
he  was  giving  instruction  at  the  Tabernacle  or  Second  Baptist 

1  The  Chicago  City  Directory  for  1866-67  gave  Dr.  Colver's  address  as 
"h  University  of  Chicago." 


98          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Church,  was  Dwight  L.  Moody.1  Among  his  students  at  the 
University  there  was  one  who  became  a  missionary  to  Assam. 
Another  was  Dr.  Henry  C.  Mabie.  A  third  was  Dr.  John 
Gordon,  who  was  still  hard  at  work  in  Philadelphia  in  1920, 
when  he  wrote  what  he  did  about  Dr.  Colver,  given  in  a  later 
chapter. 

Dr.  Colver  rendered  further  important  service  to  the  cause 
of  ministerial  education  through  the  Ministers'  Institute  that 
was  for  several  years  held  at  the  University  of  Chicago,  and  by 
lectures  which  he  delivered  at  other  somewhat  similar  institutes, 
as  at  one  held  at  Shurtleff  College,  at  Upper  Alton,  Illinois,  in 
1865,  and  at  one  held  at  Franklin,  Indiana,  in  1866.  What  this 
meant  is  best  told  by  Dr.  Clough,"the  apostle  to  theTelugus." 
He  says  that,  after  having  made  application,  in  1864,  to  be  sent 
to  the  foreign  field,  "while  everything  was  still  pending,  I  went 
to  Chicago  to  attend  a  Ministers'  Institute.  Many  of  the 
ministers  then  in  the  West  had  received  little  theological  train- 
ing. They  eagerly  came,  at  least  one  hundred  of  them,  to  this 
Institute  every  summer  to  study  portions  of  the  Bible  and 
attend  lectures.  The  man  who  presided  over  it,  Dr.  Nathaniel 
Colver,  was  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  denomination.  He, 
too,  had  not  been  a  student  in  a  theological  seminary.  He  was 
called  a  giant  of  Calvinistic  faith.  I  came  under  the  spiritual 
influence  of  the  man  during  those  weeks.  Of  my  studies  in  the 
Institute  I  remembered  little  afterwards.  What  remained  with 
me  and  served  me  was  the  pattern  of  such  a  school.  For  six 
years,  out  in  India,  during  the  hot  weather,  I  called  the  native 
preachers  together,  into  Ongole,  and  taught  them  after  the 
pattern  given  me  by  Dr.  Colver.  Thus  did  I  train  the  men 
who  were  to  be  my  fellow  workers  when  thousands  were 
baptized." 

1  A.  T.  Andreas,  History  of  Chicago  (Chicago:  The  A.  T.  Andreas  Co., 
1885),  II,  438;  Moses  Kirkland,  History  of  Chicago  (Chicago  and  New 
York:  Munsell  &  Co.,  1895),  II,  116. 


WORK  FOR  MINISTERIAL  EDUCATION  99 

Another  phase  of  Dr.  Colver's  strong  personality  and 
influence  is  illustrated  in  an  incident  told  by  Dr.  Clough.  When 
Dr.  Clough  was  going,  from  Iowa,  to  his  prospective  field  of 
missionary  labor,  he  had  an  hour  between  trains  in  Chicago. 
Dr.  Colver  had  attended  and  taken  an  important  part  in  meet- 
ings which  had  been  held  in  Iowa  before  Dr.  Clough's  departure, 
and  he  was  a  passenger  on  the  same  train  with  him,  as  far  as 
Chicago.  Then  Dr.  Clough  says:  "One  of  the  most  important 

events  of  my  life  now  happened.    Our  train  was  ready 

Dr.  Colver  and  I  stood  outside  near  the  steps.  The  first  gong 
had  sounded;  it  was  nearly  time  for  the  next.  Then,  as  if 
moved  by  some  powerful  impulse,  Dr.  Colver  took  both  of  my 
hands  in  his.  In  his  impressive  way  he  said,  '  Brother  Clough, 
I  believe  that  God  from  all  eternity  has  chosen  you  to  be  a 
missionary  to  the  Telugus.  Go,  nothing  doubting.  Remember 
that  you  are  invulnerable  until  your  work  is  done.'  With  this 
he  handed  me  up  the  steps,  the  train  started,  and  we  were  off. 
I  had  received  a  benediction  that  was  far  more  than  a  bene- 
diction. The  strong  feeling  which  I  was  to  cherish  for  many 
years,  that  I  was  an  ambassador  of  Jesus  Christ  to  the  Telugus, 
was  here  born  into  conscious  conviction.  The  assurance  that 
I  was  invulnerable  until  my  work  was  done  stayed  by  me,  all 
through,  like  a  sword  of  fire.  It  was  a  spiritual  anointing  given 
by  one  who  had  the  power  to  give  it.  It  was  received  in  all 
humility.  The  effect  remained."  The  year  of  1868  was  one 
of  crisis.  "  If  I  had  seen  a  way  to  do  it  honorably,  I  might  have 

withdrawn  from  Ongole If  I  was  that  man  for  Ongole, 

then  I  was  elected  to  stay,  come  what  might.  The  words  of 
Dr.  Colver  rang  in  my  ears, '  Brother  Clough,  I  believe  that  God 
from  all  eternity  has  chosen  you  to  be  a  missionary  to  the 
Telugus.' '" 

1  John  E.  Clough,  D.D.,  Social  Christianity  in  the  Orient:  The  Story 
of  a  Man,  a  Mission,  and  a  Movement;  written  down  for  him  by  his  wife, 
Emma  Rauschenbusch  Clough,  Ph.D.  (New  York:  The  Macmillan  Co., 
1914),  pp.  49-50,  58,  129. 


100          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Something  of  what  the  students  who  were  under  Dr.  Colver's 
instruction  at  the  University  thought  of  it,  was  shown  by  a 
report  that  was  included,  under  the  subheading  "  Theological 
Department,"  in  the  report  of  the  Eighth  Annual  Commencement 
of  the  University,  published  in  the  Christian  Times  and  Witness 
of  July  5,  1866.  That  gave  an  account  of  a  meeting  of  what 
was  called  the  "theological  class,"  at  which,  it  said,  "An 
opportunity  was  given  to  each  member  to  express  his  feelings 
in  regard  to  the  instruction  of  Rev.  N.  Colver,  D.D.,  the  teacher 
of  the  class We  need  not  say  that  the  class  were  unani- 
mous in  their  high  esteem  and  appreciation  of  Dr.  Colver  as  a 
teacher  of  divinity.  He  is  not  only  known  as  a  sound  theo- 
logian among  our  own  denomination,  but  also  among  others; 
they  all  know  that  he  understands  the  power  of  the  gospel,  and 

makes  that  power  felt  wherever  his  voice  is  heard We 

shall  not  forget  the  lessons  he  has  so  faithfully  tried  to  impress 
upon  our  minds;  that  we  should  be  preachers  of  the  gospel,  and 
not  mere  hirelings;  that  we  should  follow  the  example  of  our 
Savior,  and  have  no  other  object  in  view  than  the  glory  of  God 
and  the  salvation  of  our  fellow-men."  A  resolution  was  then 
passed,  "That  we  return  our  heartfelt  thanks  to  Dr.  Colver  for 
the  faithful  manner  in  which  he  has  labored  with  and  for  us,  not 
only  in  teaching  the  gospel  to  us,  but  in  teaching  us  how  to 
bring  it  before  the  people.  We  have  reaped  the  choicest  fruits 
of  his  own  mature  intellect  and  that  experience  which  a  long 
life  in  the  service  of  his  Master  has  given  him." 

Such  were  some  of  the  things  which,  according  to  various 
accounts,  Dr.  Colver  did  to  help  to  prepare  men  for  the  ministry 
and  to  promote  theological  education  and  the  establishment,  in 
Chicago,  of  the  Baptist  Union  Theological  Seminary,  which  is 
now  known  as  the  Divinity  School  of  the  University  of  Chicago. 
It  should  be  remembered,  too,  that  during  practically  all  of 
this  time  he  was  rendering  full  and  arduous  service  as  the  pastor 
of  a  city  church.  But  when  the  Seminary  became  an  assured 


WORK  FOR  MINISTERIAL  EOTCAfflCN  101 

fact  and  no  longer  needed  him  as  it  had,  he  heard  another  call, 
to  a  lowlier  and  then  more  needy  work,  although  still  to  help 
lay  foundations  for  theological  instruction  and  to  aid  in  the 
preparation  of  men  to  preach  the  gospel;  and  in  order  to  accept 
that  new  call,  toward  which  his  heart  went  out,  he  resigned  his 
position  in  connection  with  the  Seminary. 

After  accepting  Dr.  Colver's  resignation,  on  February  26, 
1867,  the  board  of  the  Baptist  Theological  Union,  the  Christian 
Times  and  Witness  of  March  7,  1867,  said,  adopted  resolutions 
stating  that,  "We  recall  with  thankfulness,  and  hereby  recog- 
nize with  great  pleasure,  his  entire  devotion  to  the  interests  of 
theological  instruction  in  connection  with  our  Seminary,  and  the 
readiness  he  has  shown  to  make  every  needed  personal  sacrifice 
for  their  promotion.  We  esteem  the  service  already  rendered  by 
Dr.  Colver,  in  his  classroom,  as  most  valuable.  The  brethren, 
under  his  instruction,  have  felt  their  minds  enlarged,  their  views 
of  divine  truth  cleared  and  confirmed,  and  their  hearts  made  to 
burn  within  them  as  the  Scriptures  have  been  unfolded  in  the 
daily  exercise.  Dr.  Colver's  method  of  instruction  we  regard 
as,  within  its  own  attempted  range,  peculiarly  valuable.  The 
truly  evangelical  spirit  of  it,  we  desire  may  remain  in  the 
Seminary,  and  characterize  it  during  its  whole  history.  In 
giving  Dr.  Colver  up  to  another  and  most  important  sphere  of 
service,  we  part  with  him  as  a  brother  and  as  a  man  greatly 
beloved.  His  long  and  eminent  labors  in  the  kingdom  and  in 
the  patience  of  Jesus  Christ,  have  entitled  him  to  a  foremost 
place  in  the  hearts  of  all  American  Baptists;  and  we  trust  that 
their  prayers  will  be  joined  with  ours,  that  God  will  give  him 
yet  many  years  in  which  to  perform  what  we  regard  as  the 
appropriate  crowning  work  of  his  long  and  useful  life." 

A  largely  attended  meeting  of  the  Baptist  Union,  with 
representatives  from  all  of  the  Baptist  churches  in  Chicago  and 
some  from  churches  elsewhere,  was  held  as  a  farewell  to  Dr. 
Colver.  In  the  course  of  an  address  which  he  made,  Dr.  Colver 


102  TtttHOUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

said  that  for  fifty  years  he  had  preached  the  gospel  of  God,  and 
during  that  long  time  had  been  laid  aside  by  illness  only  four 
Sabbaths.  It  was  also  stated  during  the  evening  that  Dr. 
Colver  had  authorized  the  proposition  to  be  made  to  the  Bap- 
tists of  Chicago  that,  whatever  amount  they  would  contribute 
to  the  cause  of  ministerial  education  among  the  freedmen,  not 
exceeding  $5,000,  he  would  cover  with  a  like  amount  as  his  own 
personal  contribution  to  the  endowment  of  the  Seminary  in 
Chicago.  Resolutions  were  adopted,  of  which  a  portion  of  one 
was:  "  We  will  hold  near  to  our  hearts,  and  with  God's  blessing 
will  carry  on  to  its  consummation,  that  important  enterprise 
in  behalf  of  ministerial  education,  with  whose  beginning  in  this 
city  the  name  of  Dr.  Colver  is  permanently  identified."1 

1  From  Christian  Times  and  Witness  of  March  14,  1867.  In  its  report 
of  the  meeting,  the  paper  said  also  that  one  of  the  speakers  of  the  evening 
was  Dr.  J.  C.  Burroughs,  the  president  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  who 
"followed  in  some  remarks,  expressing  the  surprise  and  regret  with  which 
he  had  learned,  while  absent  from  the  city,  of  Dr.  Colver's  resignation,  and 
his  own  entire  inacquiescence  in  such  a  step,  urging  the  importance  of 
the  service  already  rendered  by  Dr.  Colver,  and  our  own  need  of  him  in 
all  our  work,  as  a  denomination,  in  this  city  and  the  West,  as  reasons  why 
he  felt  unwilling  to  see  him  go." 


CHAPTER  VI 
EDUCATIONAL  WORK  FOR  THE  FREEDMEN 

Dr.  Colver's  last  great  work,  one  of  peculiar  self-sacrifice, 
to  which  he  went  enthusiastically  when  he  was  past  seventy-two 
years  of  age,  was  still  another  pioneer  undertaking.  It  was  the 
opening  of  a  school  and  the  laying  of  a  durable  educational 
foundation,  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  for  the  freedmen,  particu- 
larly to  train  men  of  their  own  race  needed  at  once  for  the 
ministry  among  them.  Dr.  Colver  had  striven  long  and  hard  to 
help  free  them  from  physical  bondage,  and  now  he  seized  eagerly 
the  opportunity  to  do  something  personally  toward  releasing 
them  from  their  mental  and  spiritual  enslavement.  He  would 
not  leave  them  to  grope  their  way  up  from  the  depths  unaided, 
nor  cast  upon  others  the  whole  burden  of  instructing  them  in 
the  way  of  life  as  now  opened  before  them.  He  would  yet  go 
to  them  and  do  for  them  what  he  could.  They  were  in  a  sense 
his  charge.  As  he  himself  once  expressed  it,  "I  cannot  rest; 
I  have  got  my  drowning  man  out  of  the  water  on  to  the  ice,  and 
he  will  freeze  to  death,  if  I  do  not  go  to  take  care  of  him." 
Moreover,  brethren  in  Boston  and  in  Washington  were  urging 
him  on  to  the  task,  under  an  appointment  by  the  National 
Theological  Institute,  a  society  formed  for  the  education  of 
ministers  for  the  freedmen.1 

Dr.  Colver  went  first  to  Boston,  and  a  correspondent  in  that 
city  wrote  that  "he  spoke  of  your  meeting  in  Chicago,  of  his 
love  for  the  West,  but  of  the  deeper  hold  which  the  imperiled 
condition  of  the  freedmen  had  obtained  upon  his  heart.  He 

1  The  work  of  the  National  Theological  Institute  was  in  1869  trans- 
ferred to  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society. 

103 


104          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

regretted  that  he  had  not  more  years  and  more  vigor  to  give,  but 
such  as  he  had  he  placed  on  this  altar,  desirous  of  dying  with 
his  face  this  way.  He  has  now  gone  South  to  survey  the  field 
at  St.  Helena,1  and  at  different  points  where  schools  have  been, 
or  are  to  be,  established."  After  that,  he  returned  to  the  head- 
quarters of  the  society  in  Boston,  and  then  he  went  to  Richmond, 
Virginia,  to  establish  a  school  there  for  the  freedmen;  and  the 
same  correspondent  stated  that  "  the  departure  of  Dr.  Colver  for 
Richmond  attracted  much  attention  in  Boston.  Who  can  fail 
to  appreciate  the  value  of  having  such  a  man  in  Richmond?"2 
Dr.  Colver  entered  upon  his  new  work  with  such  energy  and 
efficiency  that  when  he  returned  to  Chicago  to  attend  the 
Baptist  Anniversaries,  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  1867,  he  was 
able  to  give  considerable  information  about  the  condition  and 
educational  needs  of  the  freedmen  in  the  South,  and  was  able 
to  report  that  he  had  made  all  needful  arrangements  for  the 
opening  of  a  school,  in  Richmond,  for  the  education  of  freedmen, 
mainly,  but  not  exclusively,  for  the  ministry.  In  the  different 
addresses  which  he  delivered,  he  declared  among  other  things 
that  there  was  no  work  of  greater  importance  at  that  time  than 
the  education  of  a  ministry.  But  he  would  speak  especially  of 
the  South.  There  were  some  eight  thousand  there  preaching 
the  gospel,  and  many  of  them  could  not  read.  It  was  dark 
there.  They  needed  a  sun.  In  Richmond,  a  man  came  to  him 
who  was  liberated  when  the  city  surrendered,  after  he  had  been 
confined  for  fourteen  years,  without  any  sentence  of  a  court, 
for  the  crime  of  teaching  a  negro  to  read.  When  the  man  was 
asked  how  he  lived  so  long  in  the  dungeon,  he  replied,  "Oh,  it 
was  not  dark  there;  they  left  me  my  Bible."  But  in  many 
parts  of  the  South  the  people  had  no  light.  The  poor  freedmen 
could  not  read.  They  had  not,  therefore,  the  light  of  the  Bible. 
But  they  were  eagerly  seeking  the  light.  They  wanted  to  be 

1  On  St.  Helena  Island,  near  Beaufort,  South  Carolina. 

3  The  Christian  Times  and  Witness  of  April  n  and  of  May  23,  1867. 


LUMPKIN'S  JAIL,  THE  OLD  SLAVE  PEN  IN  RICHMOND,  VIRGINIA,  IN 
WHICH  DR.  COLVER  STARTED  A  SCHOOL  FOR  THE  FREEDMEN 


THE  FIRST  AFRICAN  BAPTIST  CHURCH  IN  RICHMOND,  VIRGINIA 


EDUCATIONAL  WORK  FOR  THE  FREEDMEN  105 

able  to  read  the  name  of  Jesus.  They  would  rather  spend  half 
an  hour  in  spelling  out  that  name  than  to  have  you  pro- 
nounce it  twenty  times  to  them.  They  hungered  for  the  Bible. 
They  thirsted  for  it.  They  had  a  great  capacity  for  receiving 
the  gospel.  Just  below  the  old  Baptist  Church  in  Richmond 
stood  what  had  been  Lumpkin's  slave  jail  and  slave  market, 
occupying  a  space  of  some  150  feet  square.  That  was  being 
fitted  up  for  the  school.  There  the  freedmen-preachers  were  to 
gather  for  light,  for  instruction.  Dr.  Colver  added  that  he 
went  to  unbind  some  of  the  chains  which  slavery  had  bound 
there  in  days  gone  by;  that  he  was  to  be  confined  in  that  old 
slave  jail  in  Richmond  for  life.1 

However,  it  was  not  easy  in  those  days  to  get  any  kind  of  a 
place  in  the  South  to  be  used  for  a  school  for  the  freedmen.2 
If,  in  an  exceptional  case,  an  owner  of  property  was  personally 
favorably  disposed  to  the  project,  he  was  nevertheless  afraid  to 
go  against  public  sentiment.  Even  many  of  the  colored  people 
themselves  were  afraid  to  act  against  it.  For  this  latter  reason 
Dr.  Colver's  original  plan  of  starting  the  school  in  one  of  their 
churches  had  to  be  abandoned.  At  last,  in  his  perplexity,  he 
devoted  a  day  to  fasting  and  prayer.  Toward  evening  he  went 
out  on  to  the  streets  to  see,  as  he  afterward  said,  what  answer 
the  Lord  might  give  him.  He  had  not  walked  far  when  he  met 
on  the  sidewalk  a  group  of  colored  people.  He  stopped  them, 
and  engaged  them  in  conversation.  He  told  them  his  object  in 
coming  to  Richmond,  and  of  the  obstacles  which  he  had  encoun- 
tered. In  the  midst  of  the  group  was  a  large,  fair-faced  freed- 
woman,  nearly  white,  who  said  that  she  had  a  place  which  she 
thought  that  he  could  have.  The  place  was  the  Lumpkin's 

1  The  Christian  Times  and  Witness  of  May  30  and  of  June  6,  1867. 

2  For  example,  Dr.  J.  G.  Binney  at  one  time  attempted  the  opening 
of  a  school  in  Richmond  under  the  auspices  of  the  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission  Society,  but  he  did  not  remain  long  in  Richmond,  because  all 
efforts  to  provide  suitable  accommodations  for  the  school  failed.    There  was 
no  relation  between  his  efforts  and  what  Dr.  Colver  did. 


106          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Jail  property.  The  woman,  who  had  been  bought  by  Lumpkin 
as  a  slave,  but  had  been  married  to  him  after  the  war,  had,  as 
his  widow,  come  into  possession  of  the  property.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  First  African  Baptist  Church  of  Richmond,  and, 
Dr.  Colver  said,  was  a  true  Christian.  She  was  not  only  willing 
to  lease  the  property  for  the  school,  but  let  it  for  five  hundred 
dollars  a  year  less  than  she  could  have  rented  it  for  to  others. 

The  Lumpkin's  Jail  property  occupied  about  half  an  acre 
of  land  near  the  center  of  the  older  portion  of  Richmond.  It 
was  in  a  deep  hollow,  or  bottom,  through  which  a  creek  flowed 
sluggishly.  Around  the  outer  borders  of  the  property  was  a 
fence  that  was,  in  some  places,  10  or  12  feet  in  height.  Inside 
of  the  fence  were  four  brick  buildings.  One  of  them,  a  tall,  old 
brick  building,  very  close  to  the  fence,  had  been  used  by  Lump- 
kin  for  his  residence  and  his  office.  Another  of  the  buildings 
had  been  used  as  a  boarding-house  for  those  who  came  either 
to  buy  or  to  sell  slaves.  A  third  building  had  served  as  a 
kitchen  and  as  a  barroom.  In  the  center  of  the  plot  was  the 
fourth  building — the  chief  object  of  interest — a  low,  rough 
brick  structure  that  was  known  as  the  "jail."  It  was  41  feet 
long  and  18  feet  wide,  and  two  stories  in  height,  with  a  piazza 
for  each  story,  on  the  north  side  of  the  building.  There  slaves, 
male  and  female,  had  been  lodged  for  safe-keeping  until  they 
could  be  disposed  of  at  public  or  private  sale.  Moreover,  in 
that  building  Lumpkin  had  been  accustomed  to  imprison  dis- 
obedient slaves  and  to  punish  refractory  ones.  A  stout  iron  staple 
at  about  the  center  of  the  rough  floor  held  the  whipping  ring. 
Strong  iron  gratings  guarded  the  windows,  some  of  the  bars 
being  still  to  be  seen  years  afterward.1 

According  to  a  visitors'  guide,  of  1871,  to  Richmond,  in  the 
days  of  slavery,  jails  were  built  in  which  negroes  for  sale  and  hire 

1  Charles  H.  Corey,  D.D.,  A  History  of  the  Richmond  Theological 
Seminary;  with  title  on  cover:  "Reminiscences  of  Thirty  Years'  Labor 
in  the  South"  (Richmond:  J.  W.  Randolph  Co.,  1895),  pp.  46-48,  52-55, 
73-76. 


EDUCATIONAL  WORK  FOR  THE  FREEDMEN  107 

were  kept  and  boarded  by  the  day,  and  halls  were  fitted  up  in 
which  they  were  exhibited  whenever  any  possible  purchasers 
appeared.  Soon  these  jails  were  insufficient  to  accommodate  all 
of  the  business,  and  sellers,  wishing  to  take  better  advantage  of 
competition  among  the  buyers,  many  of  whom  came  from  the 
far  South  every  year  to  increase  or  replenish  their  labor,  opened 
auction-houses.  In  these  the  slaves  were  arranged  in  rows,  on 
benches,  around  the  room,  awaiting  their  turns  to  be  called  to 
the  auctioneer's  block.  It  was  thought  necessary  that  the  jails 
should  be  in  close  proximity  to  the  auction-houses,  and  so  they 
were,  almost  without  exception,  in  the  bottom,  between  Frank- 
lin and  Broad  streets,  on  "Jail  Alley,"  as  it  was  called.  The 
most  noted  of  these,  because  the  largest  and  therefore  able  to 
accommodate  the  largest  number,  was  the  one  known  as  Lump- 
kin's.  This  was  built  some  time  about  1825  for  the  purpose  of 
a  jail,  and  it  was  used  as  such  until  the  close  of  the  war.  During 
the  war,  it  was  used,  in  connection  with  Castle  Lightning, 
another  negro  prison  on  Lumpkin's  Alley,  as  a  temporary 
receptacle  for  political  prisoners.  After  the  war,  it  was  fitted 
up  by  Dr.  Colver,  from  Chicago,  as  an  institute  for  the  training 
of  young  colored  men  for  the  ministry.1 

After  what  he  called  "this  school  of  colored  prophets"  had 
been  removed,  as  he  said,  "  to  a  much  more  respectable  place  in 
Richmond,"  when,  in  1870,  the  old  United  States  Hotel,  on  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Nineteenth  streets,  was  purchased  for  it 
for  $10,000,  although  it  originally  cost  $no,ooo,2  another  writer, 
in  describing  the  first  location  of  the  school,  said  that  it  was  in 
a  "low"  place,  in  both  meanings  of  that  word.  Dr.  Colver, 
with  Mr.  Holmes  and  his  family,  lived  in  the  old  Lumpkin 
dwelling-house.  The  students  lived  in  the  building  where,  a 

1  Benjamin  Bates,  Visitors'  Guide  to  Richmond  (Richmond,  1871), 
pp.  24-25. 

3  Charles  H.  Corey,  A  History  of  the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary, 
pp.  86-87. 


108          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

few  years  before,  white  men  met  to  discuss  the  price  and  value 
of  just  such  "boys"  as  they  were.  The  lockup,  or  jail,  was 
turned  into  a  schoolroom.  There,  morning  and  evening,  was 
heard  the  voice  of  prayer  and  of  praise,  in  the  same  room  where, 
of  old,  the  cries  of  the  bondman,  the  harsh  grating  of  handcuffs, 
and  the  clanking  of  chains  had  been  heard.1 

Dr.  Colver  made  arrangements  with  Rev.  James  H.  Holmes, 
the  pastor  of  the  First  African  Baptist  Church  of  Richmond,  to 
reside  with  his  family  on  the  school  premises,  and  to  look  after 
the  latter.  Mr.  Holmes  subsequently  said  that  when  Dr.  Colver 
first  came  to  Richmond,  in  1867,  ne  was  suspicious  of  him, 
because  he  thought  that  his  professions  of  love  for  the  colored 
race  were  too  strong  to  be  heartfelt,  but,  after  living  in  the  same 
house  with  him,  he  found  that  what  he  did  was  more  than  his 
words.  For  instance,  he  said  that  Dr.  Colver  would  take  the 
little  Holmes  boy  on  his  lap,  rock  him  to  sleep,  and  place  him 
on  his  own  clean  bed,  although  the  little  fellow's  clothing  was 
often  badly  soiled  with  the  mud  of  Lumpkin's  Alley.2 

Dr.  Colver  gave  the  best  that  there  was  in  him  to  the  work 
in  Richmond.  With  regard  to  some  of  the  difficulties  which  had 
to  be  overcome,  he  wrote  to  Dr.  Corey,  who  later  succeeded  him 
in  the  work:  "The  field  is  new  and  peculiar,  and  peculiar  treat- 
ment is  demanded.  We  almost  have  to  make  the  mind  to 

instruct I  have  a  large  evening  class  of  over  thirty  that 

I  have  to  teach  to  speak  and  read  properly;  and  some  in  figures 

and  writing I  have  a  class  of  pastors  and  preachers  with 

whom  I  spend  an  hour  and  a  half  daily.  I  have  gone  mostly 
through  the  book  of  Hebrews.  We  first  read  a  chapter,  and  I 
take  great  pains  to  have  them  read  properly,  naturally,  dis- 
tinctly, minding  the  pauses,  observing  proper  emphasis,  intona- 
tion, pronunciation,  etc.  Then  I  seize  upon  the  points  of 
gospel  truth  consecutively,  in  the  order  of  the  apostolic  argu- 

1  "Mallah, "  in  the  Watchman  and  Reflector,  of  Boston,  of  August  25, 
1870. 

3  Evening  State  Journal,  of  Richmond,  of  October  25,  1870. 


EDUCATIONAL  WORK  FOR  THE  FREEDMEN  109 

ment,  and  I  try  to  make  them  understand  it  as  well  as  I  can. 
Progress  is  very  slow,  and  much  patience  is  required.  They 
have  never  been  taught  to  think  consecutively.  We  take  any 
good  young  man,  whether  looking  to  the  ministry  or  not.  Most 

learn  well.     Some  do  not You  must '  cut  and  try ' 

Our  work  is  a  hard,  but  an  important  one."1 

But  there  were  also  brighter  and  more  encouraging  features 
of  Dr.  Colver's  work,  which  he  gave  in  a  letter  published  in  the 
Christian  Times  and  Witness  of  September  19,  1867.  In  that 
he  said:  " There  is  a  good  work  going  on  in  the  First  African 
Church,  for  which  I  preach  most  of  my  Sabbaths.  Their  pastor, 
one  of  my  students,  last  Sabbath  baptized  twenty-nine.  Inde- 
fatigable in  his  labors,  he  yet  spends  about  six  or  seven  hours 

a  day  in  the  school There  are  among  his  people  many 

anxious  inquirers  ....  so  that  my  room  is  a  place  of  inquiry 

and  of  prayer  with  and  for  anxious  souls Another  of  my 

students  preaches  to  three  churches  in  Louisa  County,  going  on 
foot  from  church  to  church,  with  a  compensation  that  one  would 
think  no  one  could  live  on.  But  he  is  in  very  deed  a  man  of 
God,  uncomplaining  and  happy.  His  home  is,  I  think,  some 
seven  miles  from  the  city.  Last  Sabbath  he  baptized  forty- 
two  in  one  church,  preached  to  them,  and  broke  bread;  then 
walked  to  another  church  some  miles  away,  preached  again, 
baptized  six,  and  broke  bread  to  them;  and  on  Monday  he  was 
in  school  again,  earnestly  seeking  to  prepare  himself  for  the 
Master's  work,  in  which  his  whole  heart  is  engaged.  Oh,  I  am 
content  to  cast  in  my  lot  with  the  poor  crushed  ones  of  Virginia. 
God  is  with  them.  I  bless  God  every  day  for  the  work  he  has 
given  me  to  do  here.  I  have  one  student  who  came  in  about 
seventy  miles,  a  man  of  some  intellectual,  but  more  heart 
promise.  He  is  so  happy  in  his  opportunities  for  instruction 
that  his  face  shines  with  joy.  He  lives  in  one  of  the  rooms 
furnished  by  Chicago  benevolence.  Thinking  that  he  was  very 

1  Charles  H.  Corey,  A  History  of  the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary, 
pp.  55,  62-63. 


no          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

poor,  I  asked  him  yesterday  how  he  lived.  He  said,  with  a  con- 
tented, happy  look:  'Oh,  very  well/  I  pressed  him  a  little  fur- 
ther, '  What  do  you  get  to  live  on  ?'  '  Oh,'  said  he, '  I  gets  enough ; 
for  ten  cents  I  gets  bread  enough  for  the  day.'  I  said, .'Do you 
live  on  that?'  He  said,  'Yes,  but  sometimes  I  gets  five  cents 
of  butter.  But,  Oh,'  said  he,  Tse  so  happy  if  I  can  stay  and 
study,  I  don't  care  what  I  lives  on.'  Think  of  that,  dear 
brethren,  you  that  'abound.'  Think  of  the  multitude  of  God's 
crushed  little  ones,  so  poor,  so  ignorant,  yet  so  hungry  for  the 

bread  of  life Our  school  increases  every  day 

Reconstruction  agitation  is  unpropitious  to  the  spiritual  inter- 
ests of  the  blacks,  and  to  the  conciliation  of  the  whites;  but  you 
see  the  Lord  works  through  it  all."1 

The  school  has  had  several  different  names.  On  January  2  2 , 
1869,  the  executive  committee  of  the  National  Theological 
Institute  adopted  a  resolution  to  the  effect  that  the  school 
should  thereafter  be  designated  the  Colver  Institute,  "in  honor 
of  its  first  teacher  and  a  lifelong  friend  of  the  slave  and  the 
freedmen."  In  1876,  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Richmond 
Institute,  when  the  school  was  incorporated.  In  1886,  it  was 
made  the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary.  In  1899,  what  was 
known  as  the  Wayland  Seminary,  which  had  been  located  in 
Washington,  D.C.,  since  1865,  was  transferred  to  Richmond, 
Virginia,  and  united  with  the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary 
to  constitute  the  Virginia  Union  University.  The  University 
has  forty-five  acres  of  land,  six  substantial  granite  buildings, 
or  "  halls,"  and  a  power-house.  It  maintains  three  departments : 
a  preparatory  department,  or  academy  with  manual  training; 
a  collegiate  department;  and  a  theological  department,  which 
last  is  regarded  as  a  direct  continuation  of  what  was  previously 
the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary,  the  Richmond  Institute, 
and  the  Colver  Institute. 

1  Ministers'  institutes,  patterned  somewhat  after  those  that  had  been 
held  in  Chicago,  were  also  held  in  connection  with  this  school,  at  various 
places  at  one  time  or  another,  with  gratifying  results. 


CHAPTER  VII 
MUSTERED  OUT 

When  Dr.  Colver  entered  upon  his  educational  work  for  the 
freedmen,  not  only  did  he  give  up  for  himself  the  comforts  of 
his  home,  which  a  person  generally  needs  and  clings  to  more  as 
he  advances  in  years,  but  he  also  left  behind  him  his  wife  in 
failing  health,  though  in  the  good  care  of  her  daughter,  Mary  B. 
Carter,  who  was  very  faithful  to  her.  Nor  was  he  himself  well. 
His  physician  told  him  that  he  might  die  on  the  way,  but  he 
declared  he  must  go  in  any  event,  so  strong  was  his  sense  of 
duty  and  his  desire  to  do  what  he  felt  that  the  Lord  had  called 
him  to  do,  even  if  it  meant  a  shortening  of  his  life.  In  many 
respects  he  was  like  an  old  soldier,  with  his  whole  heart  in  the 
cause  for  which  he  was  enlisted. 

By  the  spring  of  1868  his  wife's  condition  had  become  such 
that  he  returned  home.  On  April  18  of  that  year,  Mrs.  Colver 
passed  away.  Then  Dr.  Colver  went  back  to  Richmond,  and 
Miss  Carter,  like  an  own  daughter,  went  with  him,  to  care  for 
him  and  to  help  him  what  she  could,  for  he  sadly  needed  it. 
But  his  health  failed  so  fast,  on  account  of  his  grief  and  the 
anxiety  which  he  had  had,  the  hard  work  which  he  had  been 
doing,  and  possibly  the  effects  of  the  change  of  climate,  that  he 
had  to  give  up  his  work  in  Richmond,  which  he  did  by  resigning 
it  in  June,  1868.  Thus  was  he,  as  it  were,  mustered  out  of 
active  service,  much  against  his  natural  inclinations,  but  with 
perfect  submission  to  the  divine  will. 

Not  long  after  that,  he  returned  again  to  Chicago,  where, 
by  reason  of  his  strong  constitution,  he  lingered  on  for  more  than 
two  years,  sometimes  feeling  better  and  sometimes  worse.  His 

in 


112          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

particular  ailment  was  said  to  be  an  affection  of  the  heart, 
complicated  with  dropsical  symptoms,  and  sometimes  with 
difficulty  in  breathing,  which  often  made  it  impossible  for  him 
to  lie  down  at  night.  Sometimes  he  was  affected  with  great 
nervous  agitation,  and,  again,  with  nervous  depression.  At 
times,  too,  he  suffered  much,  and  longed  for  the  end. 

On  March  19,  1869,  he  wrote  to  Dr.  Corey,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded him  in  the  charge  of  the  school  at  Richmond:  "How  I 
should  love  to  be  with  you.  This  is  a  glorious  work.  I  am  glad 
that  I  engaged  in  it,  though  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  was  such 
an  overdraft  on  my  bodily  powers  as  to  bring  me  to  an  early 
grave.  I  have  got  to  die,  but  it  will  not  be  death.  I  shall  pass 
over  dry-shod.  Death  in  the  Master's  service,  or  in  his  work 
of  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  poor,  is  a  privilege.  I  think  my 
work  is  done.  I  never  expect  to  be  well  again.  I  think  a  few 

months  will  send  me  home May  God  strengthen  all  of 

us  to  do  and  to  suffer  all  his  will."1 

He  apparently  rallied  somewhat  in  the  fall  of  1869,  for  the 
Standard,  of  Chicago,  of  September  2,  1869,  stated  that  "the 
congregation  of  the  University  Place  Baptist  Church  were  much 
gratified,  on  last  Sabbath  morning,  to  see  amongst  them  once 
more  their  venerable  and  beloved  brother,  Dr.  Colver.  He 
came,  as  the  aged  John  used  to  come  into  the  Christian  assembly 
at  Ephesus,  leaning  upon  the  shoulder  of  one  younger  and 
stronger  than  he,  and  testifying  by  his  presence  his  love  for  the 
Savior  and  for  the  brethren."  Again,  on  October  21,  the 
Standard  said:  "The  Fifth  Church  was  honored  on  last  Sabbath 
with  a  visit  from  their  old  pastor,  Dr.  Colver,  who,  standing,  as 
he  expressed  himself,  with  his  feet  in  the  river,  very  near  his 
home,  preached  a  sermon  to  the  church  that  they  can  never 
forget."  The  text  was,  "Ye  are  complete  in  Him."2 

1  Charles  H.  Corey,  A  History  of  the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary, 
pp.  63-64. 

3  Col.  2:10. 


MUSTERED  OUT  113 

Then,  on  November  18,  1869,  the  Standard  published  a  letter 
that  Dr.  Colver  wrote,  as  an  urgent  appeal  for  aid  for  the  Home 
Mission  Board  in  its  great  work  of  giving  literary  and  Christian 
education  to  the  freedmen  of  the  South.  He  mentioned,  as  one 
of  the  special  sources  of  danger  to  the  freedmen,  that  there  was  a 
large  class  among  them  of  "vain,  untaught,  but  shrewd  and 
enthusiastic  men,  ambitious  to  lead  some  church  or  party,  who 
take  advantage  of  the  prejudices  and  the  ignorance  of  the  people 
to  substitute,  for  the  sober  and  holy  religion  of  Christ,  rant  and 
noise,  and  the  wildest  imaginings,  and  gross  errors,  and  the  most 
boisterous  and  disreputable  disorder  and  confusion;  and,  with 
great  power  over  the  people,  turn  them  away  from  all  who  are 

able  and  willing  to  do  them  good We  have  but  to  wait 

a  little  while,  and  the  mischief  will  be  complete,  and  our  efforts 
will  be  too  late.  Now  is  the  time.  Let  it  pass,  and  it  will 

never  return  to  us  again Richmond  is  the  Mecca  of 

slavedom.  The  foundations  are  well  laid  there  for  a  great  and 
glorious  work.  It  is  in  good  hands." 

Dr.  Justin  A.  Smith,  in  reviewing  Dr.  Colver's  life,  said 
that  "Dr.  Colver  was  a  warm  friend  of  missions,  and  always 
active  in  their  promotion,  both  as  a  member  of  various  mission- 
ary organizations  and  as  a  pastor It  was  in  a  like  spirit 

of  interest  in  wider  relations  of  Christian  service,  and  as 
prompted  by  a  profound  sense  of  the  need  of  more  preachers, 
and  especially  of  more  preachers  filled  with  the  truth  and  power 
of  the  gospel  itself,  that  he  devoted  himself,  in  the  later  years  of 
his  life,  to  the  instruction  of  young  brethren  preparing  for  the 
service.  There  are  not  a  few  brethren — most,  perhaps  all  of 
them  now  in  the  field — who  will  remember  till  they  die  the 

lessons  they  received  at  his  lips It  was,  however,  upon 

his  removal  to  Richmond  and  the  gathering  of  a  class  of  colored 
brethren  there  from  various  parts  of  the  South,  that  he  seemed 
to  have  found  his  crowning  work.  His  long  interest  in  the  cause 
and  destiny  of  the  colored  race,  his  service  and  sufferings  in  their 


114          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

behalf,  his  large  hope  for  them,  realized  at  last  beyond  even  his 
expectations,  prepared  him  to  find  a  joy  in  the  work  of  fitting 
these  brethren  for  a  more  intelligent  and  efficient  service,  that 
sometimes  seemed  more  than  his  heart  could  hold.  I  have  seen 
some  of  his  lectures  delivered  to  his  class  in  Richmond — models 
of  condensed,  clear,  simple,  yet  thorough  statement.  Illus- 
trated extemporaneously  in  his  own  happy  way,  and  filled  with 
his  spirit  of  zeal  and  love,  these  lectures  were  a  feast  to  those 
who  sat  at  his  feet,  many  of  them  pastors,  some  of  them  having 
traveled  long  distances  on  foot  that  they  might  come  to  this 
banquet,  and  all  of  them  enduring  more  or  less  of  privation  with 
the  cheerfulness  peculiar  to  their  race.  He  continued  in  this 
work  some  time  after  it  had  become  a  question  whether  any 
morning  might  find  him  alive,  and  until  repeated  attacks  of  his 
complaint  forced  him  to  say,  at  last,  with  what  reluctance  some 

of  us  know  well,  that  his  work  was  done The  one  thing 

which  made  him  restive  under  this  enforced  inaction,  was  his 
unwillingness  to  believe  that  he  really  had  no  more  to  do  in  the 
world.  His  interest  in  every  great  cause  was  just  as  warm  and 
strong  as  when  he  was  in  the  prime  of  his  years.  For  the  pulpit, 
especially,  he  used  to  long  with  a  desire  that  seemed  irrepres- 
sible. He  still  sought  all  ways  of  working  for  God,  in  gathering 
to  his  room  groups  of  students  for  a  kind  of  conversational 
lecture  upon  the  way  to  preach,  in  such  use  of  his  pen  as  he  still 
had-  strength  for,  and  in  every  other  possible  way.  No  man 
ever  loved  the  Lord's  work  more." 

Again,  Dr.  Smith  said  that  "the  theology  under  which  Dr. 
Colver  had  been  reared  was  of  that  strong,  scriptural  tone  which, 
we  know,  alone  found  favor  with  our  Baptist  fathers,  and  his 
Christian  experience,  from  the  very  first,  took  the  same  tone. 
I  think  we  shall  all  agree  that  the  theology  which  he  preached 
was  the  theology  made  experimental  with  him  in  his  own  con- 
version  Whether  assaulted  by  mobs  in  his  own  dwelling 

and  in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  or  threatened  with  violence  and 


MUSTERED  OUT  115 

even  death  when  standing  in  the  pulpit;  whether  it  was  the 
fury  of  an  excited  populace;  or  the  scarcely  less  barbarous  fury 
of  a  hostile  press,  he  met  all,  not  only  in  the  strength  of  a  true 
man,  but  in  the  more  beautiful  spirit  of  a  man  of  God.  Unspar- 
ing and  terrible,  often,  in  his  words;  yet,  I  think  I  may  truly 
say,  with  a  heart  whose  controlling  pulses  always  throbbed  to 
the  sway  of  a  large  and  generous  soul." 

With  reference  to  Dr.  Colver's  general  mental  attitude  and 
spiritual  insight  during  his  long  illness,  Dr.  Smith  said:  "I 
think  it  must  be  true  that  never  in  his  life  was  his  apprehension 
of  Scripture  teaching  more  clear,  just,  and  searching.  For 
myself,  I  have  almost  never  left  his  room  but  with  some  new 
thought  upon  either  doctrine  or  experience  to  cherish  and  to 
treasure,  or  some  look  into  the  deep  things  of  God  as  revealed 
in  his  word,  altogether  fresh  and  full  of  inspiration.  These  were 
his  chosen  themes.  Of  the  body's  pains,  he  spoke  but  seldom 
and  briefly;  of  secular  matters  rarely  at  all,  save  as  they  related 
in  some  way  to  things  higher;  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  great 
human  interests,  often  and  with  all  of  his  old  warmth."1 

Dr.  Colver's  sick  room  seemed  to  many  persons  as  being 
almost  an  anteroom  to  heaven.  His  ministerial  friends  espe- 
cially delighted  to  visit  and  converse  with  him.  Students  from 
the  University  of  Chicago  and  from  the  Baptist  Union  Theological 
Seminary  for  a  long  while  attended  him  at  night,  and  all  who 
did  it  seemed  to  remember  it  as  a  blessed  privilege.  The 
Standard  said:  "It  is  a  treat  to  spend  a  few  moments  with  him 
in  his  sick  room.  To  witness  his  perfect  peace  is  a  pleasure; 
to  talk  with  him  how  good  the  Lord  is,  is  still  a  greater  one; 
while  the  views  of  truth,  the  wonderfully  sweet  and  bright 

'Rev.  J.  A.  Smith,  D.D.,  "Nathaniel  Colver:  A  Review  of  His  Life, 
as  Presented  at  the  Funeral  Held  in  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago 
on  September  28,  1870,"  which  was  published  in  full  in  the  Standard  of 
October  6,  1870.  Dr.  Smith  took  for  a  text:  "All  ye  that  are  about  him, 
bemoan  him;  and  all  ye  that  know  his  name,  say,  How  is  the  strong  staff 
broken,  and  the  beautiful  rod!" — Jer.  48:17. 


Ii6  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

illustrations  of  those  great  things  of  the  kingdom,  so  long  the 
theme  of  his  ministry,  which  come  to  him  alike  in  his  waking 
and  sleeping  thoughts,  are  a  feast  to  the  soul."1  Nine  months 
later,3  the  Standard  said  again:  " It  is  a  great  feast  to  sit  with 
him  in  his  sick  room,  and  gather  from  his  lips  the  ripe  fruit  of  a 
half  century  of  Christian  experience,  of  service  in  the  ministry 
of  the  Word,  and  of  that  study  of  the  inspired  Scriptures  in 
which  he  'profited  above  many.'  The  young  men  of  the  Uni- 
versity and  Seminary,  such  of  them  as  love  divine  things,  find 
it  good  to  be  there." 

Something  of  his  own  feelings  at  times  was  indicated  when 
he  wrote,3  on  a  flyleaf,  on  February  9,  1869,  at  one  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  "while,"  as  he  made  record,  "the  watcher  slept," 
these  lines,  which  were  published  in  the  Standard  of  March  n, 
1869: 

"On  Jordan's  eastern  bank  I  stand 

And  hold  a  sweet  survey; 
Before  me  lies  the  promised  land, 

Behind,  the  pilgrim  way. 
I  joy  to  think  that  way  is  trod 

And  all  its  terrors  past; 
Though  long  and  rough  has  been  the  road, 

I  near  my  home  at  last. 
E'en  death's  cold  stream  has  lost  its  dread 

Since  Christ  the  way  hath  trod; 
Joyous  I  wait  the  last  command 

To  pass  and  rest  with  God." 

1  December  3,  1868. 

2  September  2,  1869. 

3  It  was  easy  for  Dr.  Colver  to  write  in  verse,  and  during  his  ministry 
he  sometimes  wrote  the  hymns  which  he  desired  to  have  sung  on  special 
occasions. 


MUSTERED  OUT  117 

Again,  at  the  same  hour  in  the  morning,  on  October  22  of 
that  year,  being  compelled  to  sit  upright  in  his  chair  in  order 
to  get  his  breath,  he  wrote : 

"  And  while  the  weary  watcher  slept, 
A  way-worn  pilgrim  waked  and  wept; 
He  longed  his  home,  his  rest  to  see, 
And  cried,  My  God,  I  wait  for  thee. 

My  God,  I  wait  for  thee, 

My  work  on  earth  seems  done, 
I  long  my  Father's  face  to  see 

As  imaged  in  the  Son. 


My  God,  I  wait  for  thee, 

O,  when  will  Jesus  come  ? 
A  mansion  is  prepared  for  me, 

O  haste,  and  take  me  home."1 

At  last  the  summons  "home,"  which  he  had  often  longed 
for  after  his  work  seemed  to  him  to  be  done,  came  to  Dr.  Colver, 
on  Sunday,  September  25,  1870.  His  last  words  were:  "It  is 
all  right;  I  am  going  to  that  Savior  who  died  for  me."2 

The  Standard,  in  announcing  in  its  leading  editorial3  the 
death  of  Dr.  Colver,  said:  "We  know  well  with  what  mournful 
interest  the  tidings  of  this  event  will  be  received  throughout  the 
country.  Not  only  is  it  a  father  in  Israel  who  has  left  us;  but 
a  champion,  a  war-worn  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ,  a  veteran  in 
every  cause  most  precious  to  humanity,  has  fallen — fallen  on  the 
field,  we  may  say.  For  while  he  stood  in  his  post  of  service 
till  strength  absolutely  failed,  and  even  when  lying  upon  his 
couch  of  suffering,  he  still  was  eager  to  testify  for  the  truth  and 

1  Rev.  J.  A.  Smith,  Memoir  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  D.D.,  p.  326. 

2  " Hesperius, "  in  "Correspondence  from  Boston,"  in  the  Standard  of 
October  20,  1870. 

3  September  29,  1870. 


n8          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

the  right,  as  opportunity  served.  The  last  two  years  of  his  life 
were  passed  in  a  struggle  with  the  common  enemy,  death,  in 
which  he  overcame  even  as  he  fell." 

In  Boston,  the  Watchman  and  Reflector  paid  tribute,1  in  its 
leading  editorial,  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Colver,  whose  death, 
it  stated,  had  been  announced  by  telegraph.  It  said  that  "the 
pilgrimage  of  the  valley  was  a  long  one,  but  the  pilgrim  in 
traveling  it  has  had  unceasingly  songs  in  the  night,  and  the 
many  who  have  visited  him  there  have  come  forth  from  a 
favored  interview  with  the  worn  soldier  of  the  cross,  as  from 
the  presence  chamber  of  the  King  of  kings."  It  also  reported 
that  at  the  meeting  of  the  Social  Union,  held  on  Monday  even- 
ing and  presided  over  by  Hon.  Joseph  Story,  tributes  were  paid 
by  Mr.  Story  and  others,  and  a  telegram  of  fraternal  sympathy 
was  sent  to  the  bereaved  family,  "with  congratulations  for  a 
life  whose  influence  is  a  felt  power  in  the  church,  in  the  denomi- 
nation, and  in  the  Republic." 

At  Tremont  Temple,  in  Boston,  Dr.  Justin  D.  Fulton 
preached  a  commemorative  sermon  which,  on  request,  was 
repeated  on  the  following  Sunday  afternoon,  and  was  published 
in  full  in  the  Watchman  and  Reflector.  He  said:  "Nathaniel 

Colver,  the  John  Knox  of  the  American  pulpit,  is  at  rest 

Like  Elijah,  he  ascended  to  God  in  triumph,  praying  that  a 
double  portion  of  his  spirit  might  rest  upon  the  ministry  who 

remain  to  carry  on  the  fight His  life  is  an  illustration 

of  the  truth  that  it  matters  not  where  we  begin;  the  determining 
fact  about  every  one  is  within,  not  without.  What  are  you  ? 

not,  Where  are  you  ?  is  the  important  question His 

common  sense  way  of  dealing  with  difficult  passages  of  Scripture 
and  of  solving  knotty  problems  compensated  the  most  learned 

when  they  gave  him  their  attention He  gloried  in  being 

hidden  with  Christ  in  God,  but  not  in  being  hidden  in  man. 
Before  the  world  he  was  a  standard-bearer,  and  he  would  not 

1  September  29,  1870. 


MUSTERED  OUT  119 

brook  rebuke  or  control  in  serving  his  Master.  Policy  was 
unable  to  bind  him  either  with  the  silken  cord  of  love  or  with 

fetters  of  iron His  very  temperament  made  him  great 

for  an  emergency.     But  his  commonplaces  were  for  most  men 

uncommon  utterances Though   he   has  not  won  the 

reputation  which  adheres  to  the  name  of  Robert  Hall  or  Andrew 
Fuller  by  the  products  of  his  pen,  it  may  be  questioned  whether 
he  has  not  accomplished  as  important  work.  As  a  debater  he 

stands  unrivaled His  unselfishness  was  proverbial.    He 

found  pleasure  in  giving  a  lift  to  any  needed  work,  whether  it 
was  to  a  poor  man  tugging  away  at  his  load  in  the  highway,  or 

to  a  brother  battling  with  a  force  too  great  for  him As  a 

teacher  he  possessed  rare  gifts.  He  knew  how  to  put  a  point 
and  place  a  subject  in  the  light  of  truth  relieved  of  obscurity 

and  doubt His  mantle  has  been  left  behind  for  others. 

Who  can  wear  it?  Who  will  try?  His  spirit  walks  with 
Christ  and  the  redeemed.  The  warrior  is  at  rest."1 

Mr.  George  Trask,  a  Congregationalist,  of  Fitchburg,  Massa- 
chusetts, wrote  a  letter  to  the  Standard,  which  was  published  on 
November  10,  1870,  in  which  he  said  that  the  frequent  refer- 
ences in  the  columns  of  the  paper  to  the  sickness  and  death  of 
Dr.  Colver  were  read  with  intense  interest  by  old  friends  in  the 
old  Bay  State.  "In  the  early  days  of  the  temperance  and  anti- 
slavery  reforms,  I  was  often  associated  with  him  on  occasions 
when  his  strong  and  original  mind,  his  benevolent  and  volcanic 
heart,  appeared  to  great  advantage.  His  iron  logic,  his  ready 
wit,  his  burning  zeal  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  rights  of  man, 
rendered  him  irresistible  in  assaulting  our  vices,  our  national 
crimes  and  sins.  He  was  a  reformer  of  the  apostolic  type. 
When  laboring  with  us,  in  this  state,  he  'conferred  not  with 
flesh  and  blood.'  He  was  almost  ubiquitous,  from  Cape  Cod 

1  Rev.  J.  D.  Fulton,  "The  Warrior  at  Rest:  A  Sketch  of  the  Life 
and  Character  of  Nathaniel  Colver,"  the  Watchman  and  Reflector  of 
October  13,  1870. 


120          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

to  the  Berkshire  Hills,  and  hurled  God's  truths  as  an  avalanche 
upon  distillers  and  dramshops — upon  slavery  and  all  its  apolo- 
gists. Though  he  was  intensely  a  Baptist,  he  was  a  broad  man, 
and  had  broad  views.  Every  wholesale  reform  found  in  him  a 
brave  defender.  Few  men  have  had  an  equal  amount  of  sheer 
power  in  sweeping  an  audience.  A  celebrated  and  extraordinary 
judge  of  men  in  all  of  the  vocations  of  life  said  to  us  a  few  days 
ago,  'I  never  heard  Colver  talk  in  our  conventions  but  he 
reminded  me  of  Daniel  Webster;  his  grasp  upon  us  was  the 
grasp  of  a  giant!'  I  add  that,  in  point  of  experimentalism,  wit, 
poetry,  and  self-sacrifice  for  the  cause  of  God  and  the  rights  of 
man,  he  often  reminded  me  of  John  Bunyan;  and  I  hazard  the 
opinion  that  an  honest  and  unreserved  presentation  of  his 
specific  traits,  character,  and  life-struggles  would  show  him  to 
be  no  very  inferior  edition  of  his  illustrious  prototype — the 
glorious  old  dreamer  in  Bedford  prison." 

Dr.  Cyrus  F.  Tolman,  of  Chicago,  who  was  for  thirty-five 
years,  from  1866,  district  secretary  for  the  western  district  of 
the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union,  now  the  American 
Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society,  in  a  conversation  in  1920 
described  Dr.  Colver  as  a  man,  as  a  student,  as  a  preacher,  and 
as  a  teacher.  Dr.  Tolman,  who  was  a  comparatively  young 
man  in  a  responsible  position  when  he  knew  Dr.  Colver,  said 
that  what  impressed  him  the  most  about  Dr.  Colver  was  his 
fatherliness,  in  the  full  meaning  of  the  word;  that  Dr.  Colver 
treated  him  just  as  if  he  were  his  own  son,  and  in  that  sense  he 
was  truly  fatherly;  that  Dr.  Colver  always  took  great  interest 
in  young  men  preparing  for,  or  in,  the  ministry.  Another  very 
impressive  thing  about  Dr.  Colver  was  that  he  was  a  man  of 
prayer — a  man  who  communed  with  God.  He  had  fellowship 
with  the  Spirit.  He  prayed  a  great  deal  about  the  Baptist 
Theological  Seminary,  waiting  on  God,  believing  that  his 
prayers  would  be  answered.  Personally,  Dr.  Colver  was  always 
agreeable,  pleasant,  cheerful,  and  hopeful.  He  smiled,  and  was 


MUSTERED  OUT  1 21 

pleasant.  He  thought  and  felt  in  harmony  and  sympathy  with 
other  people.  He  was  not  sanctimonious  hi  any  respect.  He 
was  not  a  pietist.  But  he  was  a  man  of  genuine  piety.  He  was 
always  serious  when  Dr.  Tolman  met  him.  He  never  joked 
about  anything.  Dr.  Tolman  added  that  he  always  felt  that 
he  had  received  a  blessing  when  he  had  been  with  Dr.  Colver. 

Dr.  Tolman  said  that  Dr.  Colver  was  a  great  student,  and 
said  further  that  he  was  pretty  certain  that,  if  Dr.  Colver  was 
not  what  might  be  called  a  Greek  scholar,  he  was  at  least  a 
student  of  that  language,  as  conversations  with  him  on  inter- 
pretations of  the  New  Testament  indicated  that  he  was  familiar 
with  the  Greek.1 

"Dr.  Colver/'  Dr.  Tolman  went  on  to  say,  "was  a  great 
preacher.  He  was  very  popular.  He  had  great  and  apprecia- 
tive congregations.  He  studied  his  congregations,  as  well  as  his 
text.  He  watched  closely  to  see  if  what  he  said  was  apprehended 
by  them,  and,  if  not,  he  restated  it  so  that  they  would  grasp  it. 
He  gripped  his  congregations,  and  took  them  with  him.  He 
sought  to  win  them,  and  he  was  very  successful  in  leading  men 
to  Christ.  He  was  a  great,  orthodox  theologian.  His  doc- 
trinal statements  were  concise,  clear,  and  convincing.  He  had 
also  the  power  to  teach,  as  well  as  to  preach.  His  students  were 
never  in  doubt  as  to  what  was  the  meaning  of  his  words.  He 
was  never  ambiguous;  never  indefinite." 

With  special  deliberation  Dr.  Tolman  said  that  he  con- 
sidered that  Dr.  Colver  was  not  only  one  of  the  leaders  in 
starting  the  Baptist  Union  Theological  Seminary  in  Chicago, 
but  that,  in  spirit,  he  was  largely  the  originator  of  it. 

Dr.  John  Gordon,  of  Philadelphia,  who  was  one  of  Dr. 
Colver's  students  at  the  first  University  of  Chicago,  writes  that 
"Dr.  Colver  was  a  man  of  unusual  ability.  He  was  large  in 
body,  mind,  and  heart.  As  a  man,  he  commanded  respect  and 
esteem;  as  a  Christian,  he  was  sincere;  as  a  preacher,  he  was 

1  Some  of  the  footnotes  to  Dr.  Colver's  three  lectures  on  The  Prophecy 
of  Daniel  Literally  Fulfilled  show  a  knowledge  of  Latin. 


122          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

ever  zealous  and  was  'mighty  in  the  Scriptures.'  He  fed  the 
flock,  and  was  faithful  in  warning  the  unsaved.  As  a  teacher 
of  theological  students,  he  was  inspiring,  and  his  delight  was  to 
'open  the  Scriptures'  and  reveal  their  priceless  treasures.  His 
whole  life  was  one  of  consecration  to  God  and  to  the  best  inter- 
ests of  humanity,  and  his  memory  is  a  lasting  benediction  to  the 
church  and  to  the  world.  He  was  a  '  living  epistle,  known  and 
read  of  all  men';  and,  as  a  workman,  he  'needed  not  to  be 
ashamed.'  He  was  one  of  Christ's  most  faithful  servants,  and 
few  men  ever  preached  more  earnestly  or  eloquently  the  glorious 
gospel  he  loved  so  well.  He  had  in  himself  all  of  the  elements 
of  nobility.  He  was  'a  prince  and  a  great  man  in  Israel.'  " 

Continuing  his  description  of  Dr.  Colver,  Dr.  Gordon  says 
that  he  "was  a  man  of  unusual  common  sense,  quaint  humor, 
and  was  able  to  meet  emergencies.  He  was  a  keen  antagonist  of 
what  he  believed  to  be  wrong;  and,  by  eloquence,  sagacity,  and 
wit,  was  a  formidable  opponent  in  debate  and  public  speech." 

Again,  Dr.  Gordon  says  that  "Dr.  Colver  was  a  Nathaniel 
'whom  God  gave,'  and  in  whom  was  no  guile.  Never  did  he 
fail  to  encourage  and  befriend  the  lowliest  of  God's  ministers. 
He  was  a  sagacious  man  and  readily  and  wisely  met  every  emer- 
gency. During  the  great  'May  Meetings'  (then  so  called)  in 
Chicago,  in  1867,  announcements  were  made  one  day  that  the 
alumni  of  the  various  universities  and  theological  seminaries 
would  meet  at  certain  hours  in  stated  rooms  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church.  Many  of  the  delegates  to  the  meetings  were  not 
graduates  of  any  college  or  seminary,  and,  fearing  that  they 
might  feel  somewhat  depressed,  Dr.  Colver,  who  took  in  the 
situation  at  once,  rising,  announced  with  clear  and  ringing  voice, 
'  The  Alumni  of  the  Brush  Heap  will  meet  in  such  a  room,  and 
at  such  a  time.'  Loud  cheers  followed,  and  the  gloom  was 
dispersed;  and  the  largest  gathering  held  that  year  was  that  of 
the  'Alumni  of  the  Brush  Heap.'  'A  word  spoken  in  season, 
how  good  it  is.' 


MUSTERED  OUT  123 

"The  foundations  which  Dr.  Colver  laid  were  neither  plastic 
nor  crumbling,  but  were  as  compact  and  solid  as  the  granite  of 
his  native  Vermont.  His  was  Pauline  theology.  He  knew  no 
compound  of  grace  and  works  as  the  remedy  for  sin.  The  great 
doctrines  of  God's  sovereignty,  of  Christ's  atonement,  and  of 
the  Holy  Spirit's  office  were  the  themes  of  his  teaching.  His 
classroom  instruction  was  profitable  in  the  highest  degree,  and 
his  students  were  led  to  '  search  the  Scriptures,'  and  thus  qualify 
themselves  to  be  the  teachers  of  others.  In  addition  to  his  class 
in  biblical  theology,  he  met  several  of  the  University  students 
every  Friday  afternoon  in  his  own  home,  on  Douglas  Place,  for 
the  study  of  homiletics,  and  thus  enabled  them  to  prepare 
their  sermons. 

"Dr.  Colver,  humanly  speaking,  laid  the  foundations  of  the 
Tremont  Temple,  in  Boston;  the  Baptist  Union  Theological 
Seminary, in  Chicago;  and  of  the  Colver  Institute,1  in  Richmond . 

'The  Evening  State  Journal,  of  Richmond,  "official  paper  for  the 
government,"  on  October  25,  1870,  reported  "exceedingly  interesting  and 
impressive"  memorial  services  as  having  been  held  on  the  previous  after- 
noon, at  the  First  African  Church,  in  honor  of  "Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver, 
D.D.,  who  founded  here  the  Colored  Theological  College,  known  now  as 
the  '  Colver  Institute. ' "  The  paper  stated  that  the  students  of  the  Institute 
marched  to  the  church,  "and  these  young  men  presented  as  respectable  and 
intelligent  a  body  as  we  have  seen  for  a  long  time."  Dr.  Corey,  who  took 
for  his  text:  "There  is  a  prince  and  a  great  man  fallen  this  day  in  Israel" 
(II  Sam.  3:38),  said  of  Dr.  Colver  that,  "old  and  infirm  when  he  came  here, 
the  heavy  task  he  had  undertaken  proved  too  much  for  him,  but  not  before 
he  had  shown  its  practicability  and  so  started  it  as  to  insure  its  success." 

Even  Dr.  J ,  of  this  city,  says:   "We  sincerely  respected  him  for  his 

earnestness,  courage,  and  consistency."  Rev.  Mr.  Wells  lauded  Dr. 
Colver  as  the  founder  of  the  Theological  College,  and,  pointing  to  the 
students  before  him,  "said  to  the  assembled  multitude:  'There  is  the  labor 
that  will  elevate  you  and  our  whole  race  in  Virginia  and  the  South.  Those 
young  men,  thanks  chiefly  to  Dr.  Colver,  are  in  training,  both  heart  and 
head;  and  when  they  go  forth  among  our  people,  their  influence  and  example, 
their  teachings  and  their  practice,  will  have  the  effect  to  raise  us  from  the 
degradation  into  which  we  have  been  plunged." 


124          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

He  was  a  wise  master  builder,  and  yet  he  'built  better  than  he 
knew/  and  the  whole  history  of  these  great  and  marvelous 
institutions,  with  their  untold  blessings  to  countless  thousands, 
loudly  proclaims  the  name  and  deeds  of  Dr.  Nathaniel  Colver. 

"It  was  my  sacred  privilege  to  be  much  with  Dr.  Colver 
during  the  last  months  of  his  illness,  as,  like  other  students,  I 
watched  by  his  bedside  during  many  nights.  The  experiences 
one  had  there  were  solemn  and  invaluable  lessons." 

There  are  two  oil  paintings  of  Dr.  Colver.  One  of  them, 
showing  him  standing  and  as  he  appeared  in  the  earlier  portion 
of  his  ministry  in  Boston,  is  in  one  of  the  halls  in  Tremont 
Temple,  Boston.  The  other  one,  a  bust  portrait  made  in  later 
life,  is  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  Divinity  School  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago.  The  name  plate  on  the  frame  of  this 
picture  says  he  was  "A  Founder  of  the  Divinity  School.  In 
1865-66  He  Began  the  Work  of  Theological  Instruction  in  the 
Old  University  of  Chicago."  There  is  also,  in  Tremont  Temple, 
a  bust  portrait  in  crayon,  evidently  made  near  or  after  the  close 
of  his  pastorate  in  Boston.  The  frontispiece  of  this  volume 
is  a  reproduction  from  an  old  photograph. 

In  sending  a  photograph  of  himself  to  his  eldest  son,  Dr. 
Colver  wrote,  in  1868,  among  other  lines  these: 

"  Despise  not  my  wrinkles 

Old  Time's  little  crinkles; 
They  speak  of  the  battles  for  Right. 

In  the  work  of  reform 

I  have  faced  every  storm, 
And  never  turned  back  in  the  fight. 

"For  three  score  and  thirteen 

I  a  pilgrim  have  been; 
Over  fifty  the  trumpet  have  blown; 

Through  the  kind  hand  of  God, 

By  his  staff  and  his  rod, 
Ne'er  faltered  in  making  him  known." 


PART  III 
THE  LIFE  OF  REV.  CHARLES   KENDRICK  COLVER 


REV.  CHARLES  KENDRICK   COLVER  IN   1891 


CHAPTER  I 
THROUGH  BOYHOOD 

Rev.  Charles  Kendrick  Colver,  son  of  Dr.  Nathaniel  Colver, 
was  the  fourth  and  last  of  the  Baptist  ministers  in  this  line  of 
Colvers.  He  inherited  many  of  the  distinctive  characteristics  of 
his  father  and  imbibed  much  of  the  latter's  sturdy,  heroic 
thought,  yet  became  a  man  of  his  own  strong  individuality,  who 
endeavored  to  live  his  own  life,  in  its  apparently  appointed  way. 
Consequently,  while  his  life  was  projected  on  the  same  high 
plane  as  was  his  father's,  and  was  equally  consecrated,  it  was  a 
different  one  from  his  father's.  It  was  not  so  broad  in  its  under- 
takings, nor  was  it  so  spectacular  in  its  various  phases,  as  was 
his  father's  life;  but  it  had  great  depth,  and  it  had,  too,  its 
points  of  interest,  perhaps  all  the  more  in  this  connection  because 
of  the  contrasts  between  it  and  his  father's  life,  as  well  as  because 
it  was  an  exceptional  example  of  a  comparatively  quiet,  earn- 
est, remarkably  self-controlled,  simple,  and  sincere  life  of  great 
moral  and  intellectual  strength,  which  was  patterned  as  care- 
fully as  it  well  could  be  after  the  life  and  teachings  of  the  Man 
of  Nazareth,  yet  was  also  imbued  with  much  of  the  spirit  of  the 
Old  Testament. 

Charles  Kendrick  Colver  was  born  in  the  Green  Mountains, 
or,  as  his  family  record  had  it,  in  Clarendon,  Vermont,  on 
May  22, 1821.  By  Clarendon  is  here  meant  one  of  those  units  of 
government  into  which  counties  are  subdivided,  called  towns, 
which  are  so  important  in  New  England  polity,  but  which  are 
generally  of  less  consequence  elsewhere,  being  little  more  than 
convenient,  subordinate  subdivisions  of  the  counties,  which  are 
commonly  the  real  units.  This  was  never  a  home  of  the  Indians, 

127 


128         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

but  it  had  been  a  part  of  a  common  hunting-  and  battleground 
of  several  war-loving  tribes. 

The  Clarendon  landscape  is  especially  delightful  in  its  com- 
binations of  mountains,  valleys,  and  uplands,  with  their  woods, 
fields,  pastures,  and  rushing  streams.  Much  of  the  land,  how- 
ever, is  quite  stony;  and  the  winters  there  are  long  and  rigorous. 
But  the  attractions  sufficiently  outweighed  the  disadvantages, 
so  that,  by  1821,  these  valleys  had  been  settled  for  more  than 
half  a  century  by  a  hardy  people,  a  considerable  proportion  of 
the  first  settlers  being  Baptists  from  Rhode  Island,  while  the 
first  settled  minister  in  the  town  was  a  Baptist.  Farming, 
including  dairying,  has  always  been  the  chief  occupation  of  the 
inhabitants. 

Of  fine,  fertile  valleys  between  the  mountains  there  are 
several  in  the  town.  One  not  very  large  one,  but  of  pleasing 
aspect,  with  a  stream  flowing  through  it,  is  located  in  the  western 
part  of  the  town,  or  in  what  may  be  called  West  Clarendon.  In 
that  valley,  where  is  now  the  hamlet  known  as  Chippenhook, 
there  was  built,  at  some  time  during  the  years  1797  to  1799,  a 
typical  small,  plain,  frame  Baptist  meetinghouse,  to  which 
people  not  only  from  that  valley,  but  from  the  surrounding 
country  as  well,  came  to  worship.  There  it  was  that  Dr.  Colver 
was  ordained  to  the  ministry  and  served  his  first  pastorate. 
He  lived  on  a  farm  about  a  mile  from  the  meetinghouse,  and  on 
that  farm  this  son  was  born. 

That  was  still  in  the  era  of  the  wooden  plow,  of  the  spinning 
wheel,  of  the  tallow  candle,  and  of  the  open  fireplace.  The 
clothing  was  generally  plain,  homespun,  and  homemade.  But 
log  houses  were  being  superseded  by  frame  ones  of  one  story  in 
height.  The  common  plan  was  to  have  a  huge  chimney  in  the 
center  of  the  house,  with  a  room  on  one  side  having  a  large  open 
fireplace  in  it,  which  room  was  used  as  kitchen,  dining-room,  and 
sitting-room,  while  on  the  other  side  were  two  square  rooms  with 
an  entryway  between  them,  and  with  doors  to  all  so  arranged 


THROUGH  BOYHOOD  129 

that  when  all  of  the  doors  were  opened  a  passageway  was  formed 
which  the  boys  and  girls  utilized  in  chasing  one  another  in  their 
play  of  "running  round  the  chimney. " 

The  life  of  the  times  was  centered  in  the  home  and  was  con- 
fined almost  entirely  to  the  home  and  to  the  church.  The 
workdays  were  long  and  were  filled  with  hard  toil.  The  diver- 
sions were  few  and  were  largely  utilitarian  in  their  nature,  such 
as  hunting,  trapping,  and  fishing,  husking  bees,  apple-parings, 
and  quiltings.  There  was  but  little  of  class  or  social  distinc- 
tions. Visiting  between  neighbors  was  quite  common,  espe- 
cially in  the  long  evenings  of  winter.  The  women  might  also 
from  time  to  time  have  their  afternoon  teas  together.  The 
boys,  and  sometimes  the  young  men,  when  the  opportunity 
was  afforded  for  it,  played  old-fashioned  ball,  pitched  horse- 
shoes or  quoits,  or  engaged  in  various  contests  of  strength 
and  skill. 

Money  was  scarce.  There  was  not  much  of  it  in  circulation. 
For  that  reason  the  few  wants  which  could  not  be  met  by  home 
production  or  labor  were  usually  supplied  by  some  sort  of  barter. 
The  ministers  were  generally  paid  a  large  portion  of  their  meager 
salaries  in  produce  of  one  kind  or  another.  The  school  teachers 
were  also  often  paid  in  it.  For  example,  it  is  stated  that  in  one 
school  district  in  the  town  it  was  voted,  about  the  year  1820,  to 
pay  the  teacher,  a  woman,  sixty-seven  cents  a  week  in  grain,  for 
teaching  the  school.  The  wood  needed  for  the  schools  was 
generally  obtained  by  assessing  a  certain  number  of  feet  of  it  to 
each  scholar,  to  be  delivered  by  lot.1 

In  marked  contrast,  in  physical  features,  with  the  place  in 
Vermont  where  he  was  born,  were  the  places  in  the  state  of  New 
York  where  Charles  K.  Colver  spent  his  boyhood  and  grew  up; 
and  this  difference  in  topography  undoubtedly  influenced 
many  of  the  early  settlers  in  the  former  state  to  move  into 

1  Vermont  Historical  Gazetteer,  III,  552ff.;  History  of  Rutland  County, 
Vermont,  edited  by  Smith  and  Rann,  pp.  70-73. 


130  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

the  latter,  where  the  cultivable  areas  were  of  much  greater 
extent,  farms  were  larger,  the  soil  less  stony,  the  country  more 
level,  and  where  the  facilities  for  transportation  and  travel  were 
earlier  and  better  developed.  It  was  none  of  these  things,  but  a 
sense  of  duty,  that  took  Dr.  Colver  to  Fort  Covington;  yet  they 
all  contributed  toward  giving  him  a  larger  and  more  populous 
field  than  he  had  before,  and  some  of  them  materially  aided  him 
to  cover  that  field.  Fort  Covington  was  an  important  village 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  state  of  New  York,  about  a  mile  from 
the  Canadian  frontier,  in  the  broad  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
River  and  a  few  miles  only  from  that  river.  The  outlook  was 
quite  a  pleasing  one,  on  a  rolling,  farming  country,  with  deer  to 
be  seen  frequently,  if  not  daily,  feeding  in  the  meadows  not  very 
far  away. 

Dr.  Colver  went  to  this  new  field  of  labor  some  time  in  June, 
1821,  the  month  following  that  in  which  Charles  was  born.  On 
account  of  the  somewhat  poor  health  which  Mrs.  Colver  had 
been  having,  it  was  thought  best  that  she  and  the  child  should 
remain  for  a  while  with  relatives  in  Vermont,  and  they  stayed 
there  until  the  following  winter.  Then  they  were  taken  to  the 
new  home  prepared  for  them  in  Fort  Covington;  but  that  was 
sadly  darkened  by  the  lengthening  shadows  cast  by  the  con- 
tinually failing  health  of  Mrs.  Colver,  until  the  little  boy  was 
finally  left  motherless.  Concerning  Mrs.  Colver,  little  record 
has  been  preserved  beyond  this  and  the  fact  that  Dr.  Colver 
found  in  her  a  wife  like-minded  with  himself,  whose  sympathy 
and  approval  were  with  him  when  he  entered  upon  a  calling 
which  promised  to  set  before  them  both  a  life  of  hardship  and 
self-sacrifice.1 

1  Mrs.  Colver's  grave,  grass-covered  and  shaded  a  portion  of  the  day 
by  trees,  is  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  old  burying  ground  in  Fort  Coving- 
ton,  but  a  few  blocks  from  the  center  of  the  village.  It  is  just  west  of  a 
street  which  runs  alongside  of  the  old  Baptist  meetinghouse,  a  couple  of 
blocks  north,  that  was  built  during  Dr.  Colver's  pastorate;  and  it  over- 


THROUGH  BOYHOOD  131 

Time  passed,  and  before  Charles  was  quite  four  years  old  his 
father  brought  into  their  lonely  home  one  who  was  to  be  a  new 
helpmate  for  himself  and  a  new  mother  for  the  little  lad,  a  most 
important  thing  for  good  or  otherwise  in  any  child's  life.  In 
this  case  it  was  distinctly  for  good,  for  both  the  father  and  the 
boy.  This  second  wife  and  mother  proved  to  be  much  like  the 
first  one  in  her  complete  sympathy  with  Dr.  Colver  and  his 
work.  When,  through  many  years,  he  stood  in  the  forefront  of 
reform  movements  that  had  few  friends  and  many  enemies,  and, 
as  it  were,  carried  his  life  in  his  hand,  her  brave,  true  heart  never 
quailed.  The  love  which  she  bore  him  was  strength,  not  weak- 
ness, to  him;  and  she  was  ever  ready  to  share  with  him  to  the  end 
whatever  might  come  from  fidelity  to  truth  and  the  right.  As  a 
pastor's  wife,  she  was  one  whom  all  loved,  and  to  whom  the  poor 
and  the  sorrowing  turned,  drawn  by  the  magnetism  of  her  kind 
heart.  She  was  a  peacemaker,  counselor,  and  consoler,  found 
much  oftener  in  the  home  of  mourning  than  in  the  house  of 
feasting.  Her  kindness  to  the  poor  was  especially  marked;  and 
her  hospitality,  which  was  constantly  being  put  to  the  test,  was 
always,  in  the  most  emphatic  sense,  "without  grudging. "  She 
delighted,  too,  to  be  where  Christians  assembled  and  to  hear 
their  testimonies;  but  she  herself  was  less  demonstrative  as  a 
Christian  than  many.  What  distinguished  her  most  was  her 
unswerving  faithfulness  to  duty,  what  was  right  being  with  her 
ever  the  first  question,  the  determination  of  which  determined 
every  other.1  These  characteristics  of  hers  perhaps  explained 


looks  a  bend  toward  it  in  the  Salmon  River,  just  east  of  the  street.     It  is 
marked  by  an  old-style  marble  tombstone  on  which  is  inscribed: 

In  memory  of 

SALLY,  conjort  of  Rev.  Nath1  Colver 
Died  Feb.  27th,  1824 

Aged  28  years 
Not  lojt,  but  gone  before 

1  Rev.  J.  A.  Smith,  in  funeral  sermon  published  in  the  Standard  of 
May  7,  1868. 


132  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

whence  came  some  of  those  developed  by  Charles.  It  is  easier 
to  believe  than  not  that  this  undemonstrative,  good  woman, 
strong  in  her  sense  of  duty,  and  ready  to  endure  anything  in 
the  cause  of  right,  must,  as  guardian  of  the  home,  early  teacher, 
and  example,  have  had  much  influence  over  that  sensitive  young 
child  and  in  the  shaping  of  his  character,  which  in  some  re- 
spects either  became  very  much  like  hers,  or  else  was  in  those 
respects  by  nature  strikingly  similar  to  hers. 

There  were,  of  course,  other  influences,  of  persons  and  of 
environment,  which  had  to  do,  through  the  formative  years, 
with  the  creation  of  Charles's  character.  Some  of  these  will  be 
noted  in  their  appropriate  places.  One  more  may  be  con- 
sidered now — the  influence  of  the  boy's  father,  who  was  revered. 
He  not  only  in  himself  furnished  Charles  with  a  high  ideal  of 
Christian  manhood  and  consecration  to  the  Lord's  work,  but  he 
also,  notwithstanding  that  he  was  occupied  with  other  things  to 
a  great  extent  and  that  he  was  away  from  home  much  of  the 
time  preaching  and  working  for  reforms,  had  much  to  do  with 
the  training  of  his  son.  What  that  meant  may  be  inferred  from 
his  published  essay  on  Parental  Discipline,  which  shows  that  he 
had  some  very  decided  ideas  about  how  children  should  be 
brought  up. 

In  order  that  parents  may  meet  their  responsibility  in  this 
matter,  Dr.  Colver  declared  that  it  is  not  sufficient  to  store  the 
child's  mind  with  any  definite  amount  of  knowledge,  or  theory 
of  morals.  Nor  is  the  task  one  that  can  be  accomplished 
suddenly,  or  by  fitful  application.  To  secure  a  child's  con- 
tinuance uin  the  way  that  he  should  go, "  he  must  be  trained  in 
that  way.  The  habits  of  the  way  must  be  fixed  in  the  mind ;  and 
they  must  be  made  effectual  there  by  the  constant  application  of 
some  efficient  law.  Mere  habits,  when  established,  have  in 
themselves  much  of  the  self -perpetuating  power;  but,  for  secur- 
ing a  continuance  in  righteousness,  they  will  be  found  insufficient. 
In  addition  to  them,  there  must  be  some  ever-present,  efficient 


THROUGH  BOYHOOD  133 

motive,  prompting  to  a  blameless  life,  and  also  the  habit  of  con- 
stant recurrence  to  that  motive;  so  that  it  may  affect  the  mind, 
not  by  reflection  and  induction,  but,  as  it  were,  by  intuition. 
Two  things  are  therefore  indispensable  to  the  attainment  of  the 
end  desired.  It  is  necessary,  first,  that  while  the  child  is  under 
the  molding  influence  of  the  parent,  an  upright  life  should  be 
made  his  habitual  deportment,  and,  secondly,  that  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  should  be  made  his  habitual  motive  to  such  a  life.  In  ten 
thousand  instances  where  temptation  would  have  stolen  the 
march  on  slow-footed  reasoning  and  induction,  it  has  been  met 
and  repelled  by  early  impressions  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  The 
flange  of  a  partially  trained  conscience,  with  the  rail  track  of 
youthful  habits,  has  prevented  us  from  being  turned  aside  to  our 
destruction.  Take  the  great  mass  of  the  people  together,  and 
the  extent,  not  of  their  knowledge,  but  of  their  correct  early 
home  training,  will  be  the  measure  of  their  security  against  temp- 
tation— the  measure  of  the  probability  that  their  lives  will  be 
marked  by  uprightness  of  manner  and  character.1 

Dr.  Colver  was  also  very  particular  about  the  kind  of  reading 
that  was  furnished  or  allowed  to  young  persons.  He  particularly 
objected  to  "Sunday-school  novels,"  or  to  the  light  reading 
which  he  found  being  introduced  to  a  large  extent  into  the 
Sunday  schools,  and  he  strongly  expressed  the  wish  that  other 
and  better  books  might  be  used  instead. 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that,  reared  in  a  home  where 
such  influences,  views,  and  examples  prevailed,  Charles  should 
develop  into  an  earnest,  studious,  and  God-fearing  boy,  and 

1  Rev.  N.  Colver,  Parental  Discipline:  An  essay  on  the  duty  of  parents 
by  their  own  training  to  form  the  habits  and  characters  of  their  children, 
in  order  to  the  success  of  Sabbath  schools.  This  essay  was  read  before 
the  Sabbath  School  Teachers'  Convention  of  the  Boston  Baptist  Associa- 
tion at  its  annual  meeting,  at  Cambridge,  in  1846,  and  was  published  in 
compliance  with  a  vote  of  the  convention  and  also  at  the  urgent  solicita- 
tion of  many  parents,  who  felt  that  its  circulation  would  be  productive 
of  great  good  to  the  cause  of  truth  (Boston:  New  England  Sabbath  School 
Union). 


134         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

later,  man.  He  lived  at  Fort  Covington  until  he  was  about 
eight  years  of  age.  The  first  years  were,  of  course,  mainly  years 
of  play,  developing  his  mind  and  training  his  muscles,  while  at 
the  same  time  he  was  learning  some  of  the  primary  requirements 
of  life.  Then  came  little  chores,  and  after  them  larger  ones  and 
the  beginning  of  study,  first  at  home  and  afterward  at  school. 
His  great  love  and  knowledge  of  the  Bible  shown  in  after-years 
suggests  that,  while  he  may  not  have  been  shut  up  with  the 
Bible  as  closely  in  childhood  as  was  his  father,  who  had  almost 
nothing  else  to  read  and  who  devoured  the  Bible,  still  it  must 
early  have  been  lovingly  read  and  taught  to  him  and  after  that 
have  been  his  companion  a  large  part  of  his  Sabbaths  at  least, 
and  perhaps  on  other  days  as  well.  Nor  was  his  young  mind 
ever  weakened  by  his  reading  trashy  books  of  any  sort,  but  it 
was  trained  to  feed  on  substantial  thought,  which  became  a  life- 
long habit. 

When  the  family  moved  from  Fort  Covington  southward 
to  Kingsbury,  in  Washington  County,  New  York,  where  they 
were  to  live  for  several  years,  it  was  decidedly  to  a  country  life 
that  they  went,  with  a  country  school  for  the  older  children 
to  attend,  for  Charles  was  not  the  only  child  in  the  family.1 

A  boy's  clothing  in  those  days  was  still  generally  homespun 
and  homemade,  or  at  least  homemade,  and  consisted  of  a  waist 
to  which  a  pair  of  trousers  were  buttoned,  and  of  a  jacket  or  coat. 
He  usually  had  two  such  suits,  an  "everyday"  one,  and  a 
"Sunday  suit,"  to  wear  on  Sundays  and  on  special  occasions. 

JThe  children  in  the  family  were,  by  Dr.  Colver's  first  wife:  John 
Dean  Colver,  born  in  1817,  and  Phineas  Clark  Colver,  born  January  4, 
1819,  both  born  in  the  town  of  West  Stockbridge,  near  what  is  now  called 
West  Stockbridge  Center,  Massachusetts;  and  Charles  Kendrick  Colver, 
born  May  22,  1821,  in  the  town  of  Clarendon,  Vermont.  By  the  second 
wife:  Hiram  Wallace  Colver,  born  August  18,  1826,  and  William  Nathaniel, 
known  later  simply  as  Nathaniel  Colver,  born  March  17,  1829,  both  born 
at  Fort  Covington,  New  York;  a  daughter,  Sarah  Colver,  was  born  March 
24,  1833,  in  Kingsbury,  New  York.  Like  a  daughter  must  also  be  counted 
Mary  B.  Carter,  born  August  18,  1818,  Mrs.  Colver's  daughter  by  a  former 
marriage. 


THROUGH  BOYHOOD  135 

He  might  have  a  straw  hat  for  summer;  or  he  might  go  bare- 
headed. He  would  certainly  have  a  cap  for  winter,  which 
might  be  made  of  cloth  or  knit  of  woolen  yarn,  yet  was  more  apt 
to  be  made  of  the  fur  of  some  animal,  perhaps  one  that  he  had 
himself  trapped  or  shot  and  then  prepared  the  skin  of  for  his  own 
use.  In  summer  he  went  barefooted;  but  in  winter  he  wore 
home-knit  woolen  stockings  and  cowhide  top-boots.  He  would 
also  have  for  winter  a  pair  of  mittens  made  of  cloth  or  knit  of 
woolen  yarn,  or  made  from  some  kind  of  tanned  skin,  deerskin 
mittens  being  great  favorites  on  account  of  their  wearing  quali- 
ties and  softness. 

When  the  housewife  could  not,  in  addition  to  all  of  her  other 
work,  make  all  of  the  clothing  needed  for  the  family,  she  might 
have  a  needlewoman,  a  dressmaker,  a  tailor,  or  more  frequently 
a  tailoress  come  in  and  help  her  with  her  sewing  or  the  making 
of  clothes,  which  was  done  in  the  fall  particularly.  Shoemakers 
used  also  to  go  to  the  homes,  especially  in  the  autumn,  to  make 
the  boots  and  shoes  needed  for  the  coming  year. 

After  a  boy  got  to  be  old  enough  or  strong  enough,  and 
sometimes  before  that,  his  life,  especially  in  the  country,  became 
almost  wholly  one  of  toil,  the  days  often  beginning  for  him  with 
chores  before  the  dawn,  and  lasting  with  the  evening  chores 
until  after  dark.  Sometimes  bad  weather  brought  him  a  rest; 
sometimes,  none.  Sunday  alone  brought  regularly  a  change 
among  the  devout  in  going  to  church,  or  in  reading  the  Bible  or 
religious  matter  of  some  kind  at  home.  Then  there  were  occa- 
sional trips  to  mill  or  possibly  late  on  Saturdays  to  the  nearest 
village,  to  take  in  produce  or  to  get  needed  supplies  and  the  mail. 
Once  in  a  great  while  he  might  have  the  delight  of  going  to  the 
village  to  attend  some  sort  of  a  celebration  there,  as  on  the 
Fourth  of  July.  Occasionally  a  boy  might  also  get  to  go  hunt- 
ing or  fishing.  In  the  autumn,  husking  bees  and  apple-paring 
bees,  commonly  held  in  turn  by  all  the  farmers,  gave  him  his 
greatest  social  pleasures. 


136  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

If  not  deemed  to  be  too  old  or  too  much  needed  for  work, 
even  a  well-grown  boy  or  young  man  might  still,  after  the  fall 
work  was  done  and  the  frost  had  put  an  end  to  plowing  and 
doing  many  other  things,  be  permitted  to  go  to  school  for  several 
months  during  the  winter,  if  he  desired  to  do  so,  doing  the  chores 
at  home  before  going  to  school  in  the  morning  and  after  return- 
ing in  the  evening,  and  doing  extra  things  needed,  like  getting 
up  wood  or  feed  for  the  stock,  on  Saturdays.  In  school,  he 
perhaps  studied  reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  spelling,  geography, 
grammar,  history,  and  possibly  one  or  two  other  subjects.  For 
boys  with  a  good  start  and  studiously  inclined  it  was  a  great 
privilege  and  something  of  a  pleasure  to  attend  school  in  the 
winter,  while  for  some  others,  untrained  and  slow  of  mind  and 
prematurely  worn-out  with  work,  it  was  a  good  deal  of  an  ordeal 
and  of  less  benefit. 

Where  many  large  pupils  attended  the  school  in  winter,  a 
man  was  generally  hired  for  teacher.  School  in  other  months 
was  intended  for  the  younger  children  of  the  district  alone — 
those  not  yet  old  enough  for  work  on  the  farm  or  in  the  house — 
and  a  young  woman  was  usually  the  teacher.  All  of  the  pupils, 
excepting  possibly  a  few  living  quite  near  the  schoolhouse, 
carried  their  "dinners"  with  them  to  school  and  remained  until 
the  school  closed  in  the  afternoon.  During  the  noon  hour,  after 
hurriedly  eating,  and  at  the  recesses  they  sought  relaxation  and 
amusement  in  various  games.  The  smaller  boys  played  such 
games  as  tag,  "I  spy,"  and  sometimes  marbles;  while  the 
larger  boys  often  played  ball  or  engaged  in  other  games  and 
contests  which  showed  and  tended  to  develop  their  alertness, 
strength,  and  endurance.  The  girls  jumped  the  rope,  or  played 
games  like  ring  around  the  rosy,  and  sometimes  tag,  or 
"I  spy." 

After  what  was  practically  a  country  life,  it  was  a  great 
change  for  Charles  when  he  was  thirteen  years  old  to  have  his 
home  transferred  to  Holmesburg,  Pennsylvania,  due  to  his 


THROUGH  BOYHOOD  137 

father's  acceptance  of  a  pastorate  in  that  place  which  was  then 
a  suburb  of  Philadelphia,  ten  miles  north  of  the  city,  but  is  now 
incorporated  into  the  latter.  The  journey  there,  and  after  it 
the  proximity  to  a  great  city,  gave  to  the  boy  a  new  and  some- 
what different  as  well  as  a  larger  personal  outlook  on  life  than 
he  had  yet  had.  It  was  even  more  memorable  for  him  because 
Holmesburg  became  the  place  of  his  conversion,  and  of  his 
baptism  on  August  24,  1834. 

But  his  stay  in  Holmesburg  was  for  only  about  six  months 
on  account  of  his  father's  yielding  to  the  urgent  and  almost 
irresistible  call  of  the  Bottskill  Baptist  Church  in  Union  Village, 
afterward  called  Greenwich,  in  Washington  County,  New  York, 
which  took  the  family  back  to  within  about  twenty  miles  of 
Kingsbury.  Union  Village  was  a  somewhat  important  and 
attractive  place  of  possibly  a  thousand  inhabitants;  but  the  fact 
that  a  year  later  Charles  gave  his  place  of  residence  as  being  in 
Greenwich  would  indicate  that  the  family  lived  on  a  farm  in 
the  town  of  Greenwich  outside  of  the  village,  which,  however, 
would  not  prevent  his  getting  all  of  the  benefits  that  he  could 
possibly  derive  from  the  village,  including,  undoubtedly, 
attendance  at  the  village  school. 


CHAPTER  II 
NINE  YEARS  OF  HARD  STUDY 

When  Charles  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  the  door  was  opened 
for  what  seemed  to  him  a  great  opportunity — a  chance  to  enter 
on  academic  study  with  a  view  to  preparing  himself  thoroughly 
for  the  ministry.  That  it  came  to  him  as  it  did  showed  that  he 
had  made  good  use  of  such  educational  advantages  as  he  had 
had,  and  that  he  was  considered  a  promising  youth. 

It  was  late  in  the  summer  of  1835.  He  was  out  either  in  the 
garden  or  in  the  field  working.  A  man  who  came  in  a  buggy 
stopped  at  the  house.  That  in  itself  was  no  unusual  occurrence, 
for  in  those  days  Baptist  ministers  as  a  rule  kept  open  house,  or 
"Baptist  inns,"  as  they  have  been  called,  where  other  Baptist 
ministers  and  sometimes  laymen  were  wont,  as  occasion  arose 
for  it,  to  seek  lodging  or  to  stop  for  a  meal,  on  account  of  com- 
mon interests  and  a  desire  for  religious  conversation;  and  at 
Dr.  Colver's  house  the  latchstring  was  always  out,  and  his 
guests  were  many.  Furthermore,  it  was  a  Baptist  minister  who 
stopped  there  this  time.  But  after  a  while  Charles  was  called 
into  the  house.  Then  he  was  asked  whether  he  would  like  to  go 
away  to  school.  The  question  almost  stunned  him.  Could  it 
be  true  that  the  way  was  being  opened  for  him  to  do  it  ?  He 
could  hardly  realize  it,  for  it  was  altogether  too  good — just  what 
he  most  longed  to  do.  It  meant  so  much  to  him,  partly  because 
such  opportunities  were  fewer  in  those  days  than  they  are  now, 
and  partly  because  he  had  thought  that  no  such  good  fortune 
could  come  to  him  in  particular.  His  father  asked  him  if  he 
could  "live  close,  and  would  study  hard. "  The  boy  answered 
unhesitatingly  in  the  affirmative.  He  found  satisfaction  in  the 

138 


NINE  YEARS  OF  HARD  STUDY  139 

hard  study;  but  he  once  said,  many  years  afterward,  that 
perhaps  he  had  tried  to  live  too  "close,"  and  it  did  probably 
affect  somewhat  his  whole  subsequent  life. 

The  visitor  referred  to  was  a  Baptist  minister  named 
Edmunds,  who,  as  an  agent  or  representative  of  the  Hamilton 
Literary  and  Theological  Institution,  located  at  Hamilton,  in 
Madison  County,  New  York,  traveled  about  to  raise  funds,  and 
incidentally  to  get  desirable  students,  for  the  school.  After  the 
matter  with  regard  to  Charles's  going  to  Hamilton  had  been 
satisfactorily  settled,  and  Mr.  Edmunds  had  perhaps  rested  for 
the  night,  he  went  on  his  way.  In  the  course  of  a  couple  of 
weeks,  after  ample  time  had  been  given  for  all  needed  prepara- 
tions to  be  made,  he  returned,  and  when  he  went  away  that  time 
he  took  Charles  along  with  him,  the  boy's  clothes  and  books 
being  in  a  box  or  chest  which  his  father  made  for  him,  which  was 
put  into  the  back  part  of  the  buggy. 

The  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theological  Institution,  which 
afterward  became  Madison  University,  and  is  now  Colgate 
University,  had  three  buildings  on  the  side  of  a  hill  overlooking 
a  beautiful,  peaceful  valley,  in  many  respects  an  ideal  place  for 
it  if  solitude  and  repose  contribute  to  the  highest  mental  culture. 
It  was  unique  in  its  character,  being  for  about  twenty  years, 
until  1839,  devoted  exclusively  to  the  education  of  young  men 
for  the  ministry.  The  catalogue  for  1835-36  said  that  the 
institution  was  open  to  young  men  possessing  the  requisite 
qualifications,  from  every  denomination  of  evangelical  Chris- 
tians ;  that  candidates  for  admission  were  examined  in  relation  to 
their  Christian  experience,  call  to  the  ministry,  and  studies;  and 
that  everyone  was  required  to  present  testimonials  from  the 
church  to  which  he  belonged,  certifying  that  he  had  the  appro- 
bation of  the  church  in  entering  upon  a  course  of  preparation 
for  the  gospel  ministry.  But  while  the  faculty  urged  on  the 
churches  the  utmost  caution  in  recommending  young  men  as 
proper  candidates  for  the  ministry,  they  would  have  it  known 


140          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

that  a  full  license  was  required  of  none  previous  to  his  commen- 
cing the  study  of  theology. 

According  to  the  same  catalogue,  there  was  a  faculty  of  eight, 
which  included  such  men  as  Nathaniel  Kendrick,  Barnas  Sears, 
Thomas  J.  Conant,  and  Asahel  C.  Kendrick.  There  were  153 
students.  The  name  of  Charles  K.  Colver,  residence  Green- 
wich, was  given  as  that  of  a  student  in  the  academic  department 
as  it  was  also  in  the  catalogue  of  1836-37.  The  charge  in 
1835-36  for  board,  washing,  and  lodging  was  one  dollar  a  week; 
in  1836-37  it  was  $i  .25  a  week.  Tuition  in  the  academic  depart- 
ment was  $20  a  year. 

Chapel  services,  which  the  students  were  required  to  attend, 
were  held  twice  a  day — in  the  morning  and  in  the  afternoon. 
The  morning  services,  which  were  held  at  six  o'clock,  were  con- 
ducted by  the  students  in  turn;  while  the  services  in  the  after- 
noon, at  five  o'clock,  were  in  charge  of  the  professors. 

The  Hamilton  students  of  that  period  were  for  the  most  part, 
if  not  altogether,  from  pious  families  of  limited  means,  and  were, 
as  they  have  been  described,  consecrated  to  a  sacred  vocation, 
and  commenced  and  pursued  their  studies  under  the  over- 
shadowings  of  a  high  and  holy  purpose  and  the  solemnity  of 
their  individual  responsibility  to  God.  Their  teachers  aimed 
to  elicit  the  native  powers  and  peculiar  tendencies  of  the 
students — to  make  them  think  for  themselves  and  to  stand 
up  firmly,  independently,  and  self-reliantly  upon  their  own 
mental  and  moral  bases.  The  Hamilton  student  was  therefore 
pre-eminently  self-centered,  self-poised,  self-pronounced,  and 
self -regulated.  He  was  natural,  manly,  serious,  earnest,  loved  to 
study,  to  investigate,  and  to  think.  He  was  practical,  intrepid, 
prompt  to  take  hold  of  hard  work,  to  go  anywhere,  to  endure 
anything  whereby  God  might  be  glorified  and  man  benefited. 
Furthermore,  he  scorned  fopperies  and  finicalities,  affectations, 
and  facile  accommodations  to  fashion,  and  artificial  etiquette. 
Yet  the  Hamilton  alumnus  was  a  Christian  gentleman,  who 


SCHOOLHOUSE  AND  BAPTIST  MEETINGHOUSE,  KINGSBURY,  NEW  YORK 


HAMILTON  LITERARY  AND  THEOLOGICAL  INSTITUTION 


BROWN  UNIVERSITY  IN  1340 


NINE  YEARS  OF  HARD  STUDY  141 

knew  how  to  be  gentle  and  courteous  to  all  men,  and  perfectly 
meet  the  proprieties  of  good,  considerate,  and  delicate  behavior 
to  men  and  women  of  sense  and  refinement.1 

Charles  K.  Colver  was  very  much  such  a  student  and  after- 
ward man.  That  was  on  account  of  his  serious,  studious 
nature,  his  aim  in  life,  and  his  home  training,  together  with  the 
effect,  to  some  degree  probably,  of  the  two  years  which  he 
spent  at  Hamilton  in  association  with  other  students  of  the  kind 
described,  and  under  teachers  who  did  all  they  well  could  to 
encourage  and  promote  the  development  of  something  of  that 
type  of  character  in  every  student. 

After  Charles  had  completed  the  two  years'  course  of  study 
at  Hamilton  which  prepared  him  for  college,  he  for  some  reason 
remained  at  home  for  a  year.  Then  he  went  for  four  years  to 
Brown  University,  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  which  was  of 
benefit  to  him  in  several  ways.  It  gave  him  new  associates  in 
study,  and  some  with  different  aims  and  views  from  his  own. 
For  example,  one  of  his  classmates  at  Brown  was  Albert  Hark- 
ness,  who  afterward  became  the  distinguished  author  of  text- 
books for  the  study  of  Latin.  New  teachers  also  meant  new 
influences -and  inspirations,  while  residence  in  such  a  city  as 
Providence  could  not  be  without  its  advantages. 

Brown  University  is  remarkably  well  situated.  It  is  on  a 
hill,  in  a  comparatively  quiet  residential  district  favorable  to 
study,  while  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  within  a  few  minutes'  walk 
west,  is  the  business  section  of  the  city.  Moreover,  the  city 
itself,  which  has  always  been  an  important  center  of  influence, 
could  not  then  any  more  than  it  can  now,  be  said  to  be  too  large 
or  too  small  for  the  best  interests  of  the  University,  which  has 
been  peculiarly  an  integral  part  of  the  city  as  well  as  of  the  state 
of  Rhode  Island  famous  as  an  early  abode  of  religious  tolera- 
tion and  liberty  and  which  was  in  a  sense  the  birthplace  of  the 

'Rev.  George  W.  Eaton,  "Historical  Discourse,"  in  The  First  Half- 
Century  of  Madison  University  (New  York:  Sheldon  &  Co.,  1872),  pp. 
31-32. 


142          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Baptist  denomination  in  America.    The  city  had  in  1840  a 
population  of  23,172,  of  whom  1,302  were  colored  persons. 

Brown  University  was  founded  in  1764  as  Rhode  Island 
College,  principally  to  educate  young  men  for  the  Baptist 
ministry,  although  that  was  never  made  its  exclusive  purpose. 
In  1838-39,  when  Charles  K.  Colver  went  there  and  became  a 
member  of  the  class  that  was  to  be  graduated  in  1842,  the 
University  had  three  buildings:  University  Hall,  which  was 
built  in  1770;  Hope  College,  a  dormitory,  built  in  1822;  and 
Manning  Hall,  used  for  library  and  chapel  purposes,  built  in 
1834.  To  these  was  added,  in  1840,  Rhode  Island  Hall,  dedi- 
cated to  the  sciences.  The  first  two  buildings  were  built  of 
brick ;  the  other  two  of  stone,  covered  with  cement.  The  entire 
property  was  estimated  to  be  worth  over  $150,000. 

According  to  the  Brown  catalogue  for  the  year  1838-39,  the 
University  then  had  a  faculty  of  nine.  Of  students  it  had  188, 
one  of  whom  was  Charles  K.  Colver,  freshman.  He  lived  that 
year  at  a  private  house,  but  thereafter  had  a  room  in  Hope 
College.  Board  in  Commons  cost,  in  different  years,  from 
$1.25  to  $1.80,  or  from  $1.50  to  $2  a  week.  Tuition,  room  rent, 
and  incidentals  were  $63  a  year. 

But  what  distinguished  Brown  University  the  most  at  that 
time  was  its  president — Francis  Wayland,  who  was  one  of  the 
foremost  educators  of  his  day.  He  was  in  particular  a  great 
moral  and  intellectual  stimulus  to  the  students  who  came  under 
him.  His  influence  on  them  was  extraordinary,  and  the  impres- 
sions that  he  made  were  lasting.  Like  many  others,  Mr.  Colver 
throughout  his  after-life  cherished  the  memory  of  Dr.  Wayland, 
and  he  from  time  to  time,  especially  in  his  home,  referred  with 
marked  respect  to  what  he  regarded  as  important  statements 
that  had  been  made  by  Dr.  Wayland. 

The  regulations  of  the  University,  the  catalogue  declared, 
were  formed  with  the  single  design  of  promoting  the  intellectual 
and  moral  advancement  of  its  members.  The  discipline  was 


NINE  YEARS  OF  HARD  STUDY  143 

intended  to  be  strictly  parental.  The  officers  desired  to  culti- 
vate with  their  pupils  habits  of  kind  and  familiar  intercourse, 
and  to  influence  them  rather  by  an  appeal  to  the  better  prin- 
ciples of  the  heart  than  by  severe  or  disgraceful  punishment. 
But  one  rule  which  Dr.  Wayland  was  very  insistent  upon 
required  the  members  of  the  faculty  to  occupy  rooms  in  the 
University  buildings  during  the  hours  prescribed  for  study  and  to 
visit  the  rooms  of  the  students.  This  was  not  very  popular  with 
either  the  professors  or  the  students.  Dr.  Wayland  himself  set 
a  good  example  and  could  regularly  be  found  hard  at  work  in  his 
room  in  Hope  College. 

What  student  life  was  for  the  class  of  1842  was  afterward 
described  by  Albert  Harkness.  He  said  that  it  was  academic 
life  pure  and  simple.  The  students  lived  together  in  the  college, 
and  dined  together  in  what  was  called  "Commons  Hall,"  which 
was  in  University  Hall.  The  hours  for  devotion,  for  study,  and 
for  recitation  were  the  same  for  all,  and  were  regulated  by  the 
college  bell  with  the  precision  of  clockwork.  The  entire  aca- 
demic body  of  officers  and  students  was  expected  to  attend  chapel 
services  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  again  at  five  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  on  which  latter  occasion,  after  prayer  by  the 
president,  some  junior  or  senior  would  deliver  a  spirited  oration 
on  some  theme  of  academic,  local,  or  national  interest.  Every 
student  was  required  to  meet  his  teacher  in  the  classroom 
directly  after  prayers  in  the  morning  or  before  breakfast,  at 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  and  at  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. From  seven  until  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  it  was  his 
bounden  duty  to  be  in  his  own  private  study.  Such  was  the 
cloistered  life  in  those  days  at  Brown;  and  it  was  not  without  its 
advantages.  The  faculty  and  students  constituted  an  academic 
family.  Ties  of  friendship  were  formed  which  not  even  the 
cares  of  the  busiest  life  could  ever  sunder.1 

1  Memories  of  Brown  (Providence:  Brown  Alumni  Magazine  Co.,  1909), 
p.  68. 


144          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

But  the  friendly  personal  relations  between  professors  and 
students  were  confined  almost  entirely  to  the  classroom.  Nor 
did  the  students  as  a  rule  go  into  society  in  the  city  before  their 
senior  year,  and  not  many  of  them  then. 

The  studies  were  principally  Greek,  Latin,  and  mathematics, 
especially  during  the  first  two  years.  However,  at  a  little  later 
period,  Dr.  Wayland  introduced  at  Brown  the  first  important 
elective  system  in  this  country. 

No  provision  was  made  for  physical  culture;  but  some  of  the 
students  got  exercise  and  relaxation  by  playing  baseball  and 
football  in  a  simple  way  back  of  Hope  College. 

During  his  four  years  at  Brown  University,  Charles  Ken- 
drick  Colver  made  a  fine  record.  He  stood  especially  high  in 
mathematics,  in  Greek,  and  in  Latin,  and  nearly  as  well  in  the 
philosophies.  He  was  graduated  in  1842  with  honor,  being 
appointed  to  deliver  the  philosophical  oration.  His  subject  was 
"  The  Uses  of  the  Imagination  in  Philosophical  Inquiry. "  He 
was  also  chosen  for  membership  in  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society, 
though  before  he  would  accept  that  honor  he  had  to  be  satisfied 
that  he  was  not  incurring  any  obligation  of  a  secret  organization, 
contrary  to  his  principles.  He  was  given  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts,  and  subsequently  that  of  Master  of  Arts. 

"Commencement"  in  those  days  was  held,  not  at  the  end 
of  the  scholastic  year,  as  it  is  now,  but  at  the  beginning  of  the 
ensuing  year,  or  in  the  fall,  instead  of  in  the  spring.  This 
necessitated  the  return  to  the  University,  after  the  summer  vaca- 
tion, of  those  who  were  to  be  graduated,  which  did  not  matter 
much  for  most  of  them,  as  they  did  not  live  very  far  away  and  all 
probably  felt  well  repaid  for  such  trouble  as  it  was  to  them. 

Then,  how  the  commencement  was  celebrated!  It  was  not 
only  the  greatest  event  of  the  collegiate  year,  but  it  was  of  almost 
equal  importance  for  the  entire  community.  It  was  the  city's 
festival.  Time  was  often  calculated  with  reference  to  it,  as  it 
is  now  to  and  from  the  Fourth  of  July,  or  to  and  from  Christmas. 


NINE  YEARS  OF  HARD  STUDY  145 

People  came  from  considerable  distances  to  attend  it,  or  to  make 
it  the  occasion  for  visiting  their  relatives  and  their  friends  in  the 
city.  In  fact,  a  common  form  of  invitation  was,  "  You  will  come 
to  see  us  at  commencement  time,  won't  you  ?"  So  they  began 
coming  on  Monday  of  commencement  week.  By  Tuesday  the 
city  was  full  of  them.  On  Wednesday  it  was  overflowing. 
Booths  for  the  sale  of  refreshments  and  of  souvenirs  were  erected 
along  the  main  thoroughfares  and  in  the  public  places  where  the 
crowds  would  be  the  greatest.  In  addition,  in  1842,  a  "magni- 
ficent display  of  fireworks"  in  the  evening  was  a  feature,  in  the 
nature  of  a  side  show,  provided  by  an  enterprising  man  for 
private  profit. 

The  chief  exercises  were  held  on  Wednesday,  in  the  historic 
old  Baptist  meetinghouse  at  the  foot  of  the  "hill"  and  dedicated 
in  1775  "for  the  worship  of  Almighty  God  and  to  hold  Com- 
mencement in,"  which  meetinghouse  with  its  spire  200  feet  high 
was  itself  one  of  the  notable  features  of  the  city.  The  sheriff, 
with  his  sword  at  his  side,  used  to  sit  on  the  platform,  as  he  does 
still  at  commencements,  being  required  by  law  to  attend  them, 
a  custom  that  is  preserved,  not  from  any  real  necessity,  but  to 
link  the  commonwealth  with  the  occasion. 

Business  in  general  in  the  city  was  largely  suspended  on 
commencement  day.  As  an  example  of  this,  when  the  Seventy- 
third  Annual  Commencement  was  held,  on  September  7,  1842, 
the  Providence  Journal  of  that  date  gave  notice  that  "  this  day 
being  Commencement,  no  paper  will  be  issued  from  this  office 
tomorrow. " 

Two  advertisements  in  that  number  of  the  Journal  are  also 
of  some  interest.  One  of  them  is  an  advertisement  that 
appeared  under  the  heading  "  Brown  University. "  It  announced 
that  the  commencement  would  be  celebrated  in  the  First  Bap- 
tist Meetinghouse,  and  that  "applications  for  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts  must  be  made  to  the  Register  at  or  before  12 
o'clock  M.  of  the  day  preceding  Commencement,  enclosing  the 


146          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

graduation  fee,  and  containing  the  name  of  the  applicant 
written  at  length. " 

The  other  advertisement  referred  to  is  mentioned  here 
merely  as  reflecting  one  phase  of  the  morals  of  the  times.  It  was 
one  of  a  number  of  advertisements  of  lotteries.  It  stated  that 
there  was  to  be  a  drawing  at  Providence  that  day,  in  the  "  school 
fund  lottery  of  Rhode  Island  granted  by  the  legislature  at  the 
January  session  1839  for  the  benefit  of  the  public  schools,"  the 
drawing  to  be  "under  the  superintendence  of  the  secretary  of 
state. "  And  that  is  a  reminder  here  that  a  part  of  the  cost  of 
the  First  Baptist  Meetinghouse,  which  was  erected  for  the  use 
of  both  the  church  and  the  University,  was  raised  by  a  lottery 
authorized  by  the  state  of  Rhode  Island. 

Before  Mr.  Colver  came  to  his  second  summer  vacation  at 
Brown  University,  his  father  had  moved  to  Boston,  which  was  of 
an  educational  benefit  to  the  young  man.  It  brought  instruc- 
tive new  local  subjects  into  the  letters  which  he  received  from 
home.  It  also  gave  him  an  entirely  different  environment  from 
any  that  he  had  yet  had  in  which  to  spend  his  vacations, 
although  that  was  not  an  improvement  in  so  far  as  it  was  a 
continued  confinement  within  brick  walls  and  narrow  streets, 
instead  of  being  a  release  from  the  confinement  of  school  life  to 
an  open  outdoor  one. 

First  the  family  lived  for  three  or  four  years  at  28  La  Grange 
Place,  which  was  in  what  was  then  a  part  of  the  residential 
section  of  Boston,  about  four  or  five  blocks  south  of  the  successive 
halls  in  which  the  services  of  the  First  Baptist  Free  Church,  of 
which  Dr.  Colver  was  the  pastor,  were  held,  and  a  little  distance 
east  of  the  southeast  corner  of  the  field  early  set  apart  for  the 
drilling  of  troops  and  the  pasturing  of  cattle,  called  Boston 
Common,  whereon  the  pasturage  of  cows  was  allowed  up  to  1830. 

La  Grange  Place  was  a  typical,  short,  narrow  street,  with 
narrow  brick  pavements,  and  walled  in  on  both  sides  with  brick 
buildings  of  three  or  four  stories  in  height  that  were  built  one 


NINE  YEARS  OF  HARD  STUDY  147 

against  the  other.  But  what  were  once  residences  are  now  all 
used  for  business  purposes;  and  No.  28  has  within  recent  years 
been  replaced  by  a  new  building. 

From  there,  in  1843,  at  much  the  same  time  that  the  church 
moved  into  Tremont  Temple,  Dr.  Colver  moved  to  2  Province 
House  Court,  later  known  simply  as  Province  Court,  which 
originally  derived  its  name  from  the  fact  that  at  its  east  end 
was  the  Province  House,  built  in  1679,  which  was  the  official 
residence  of  the  royal  governors  of  the  Province  of  Massachu- 
setts Bay  from  1716  to  1776.  Province  Court  greatly  resembled 
La  Grange  Place  in  its  main  features,  but  it  was  nearer  to  the 
heart  of  the  city.  No.  2  was  a  red  brick  building  of  three 
stories  and  a  basement.  It  was  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Prov- 
ince Court  and  of  likewise  short  and  narrow  Province  Street. 
Moreover,  it  was  directly  back  or  southeast  of,  and  less  than  200 
feet  from,  the  rear  of  Tremont  Temple,  from  which  it  was 
separated  by  other  buildings.  The  City  Hall,  the  old  State 
House,  and  other  public  buildings  were  not  far  away;  and  the  law 
offices  of  Daniel  Webster  and  of  Rufus  Choate  were  within  a 
couple  of  blocks  to  the  northward,  while  Boston  Common  was 
no  farther  off  in  another  direction. 

After  his  graduation  from  Brown  University,  Mr.  Colver 
was  still  further  greatly  influenced  and  helped  educationally  by 
spending  three  years  in  the  study  of  theology  at  the  Newton 
Theological  Institution.  This  theological  seminary  is  another 
Baptist  educational  institution  located  on  a  hill,  while  it  has  the 
additional  advantage  of  having  a  far-reaching  and  inspiring 
view  of  hills  and  dales  dotted  over  with  houses  and  villages. 
Looking  east  on  a  clear  day,  one  may  see  the  upper  portion  of  the 
Bunker  Hill  Monument,  in  old  Charlestown,  and  one  or  more  of 
the  tall  towers  in  Boston,  nine  miles  away;  while  in  a  northerly 
direction  he  may  see  a  mountain  peak  fifty  or  sixty  miles 
distant,  in  New  Hampshire.  Near  the  foot  of  the  hill  is  Crystal 
Lake;  also,  the  main  portion  of  the  village  of  Newton  Centre, 


148          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Massachusetts,  an  orderly,  quiet  place,  of  which  the  Newton 
Theological  Institution  is  the  distinctive  feature.  Surely  it 
ought  to  be  easy  there  to  apply  the  mind  to  the  study  of  theology 
and  to  meditation  on  the  infinite. 

The  Newton  Theological  Institution  was  founded  in  1827, 
the  aim  being  to  establish  an  institution  of  equal  excellence  with 
the  theological  seminaries  at  Andover  and  at  Princeton,  but 
one  placing  more  emphasis  on  biblical  study.  In  1842-43  it  had 
four  professorships  as  follows:  Christian  theology,  ecclesiastical 
history,  sacred  rhetoric  and  pastoral  duties,  and  biblical  litera- 
ture and  interpretation.  One  prominent  requirement  of  the 
last-mentioned  department  was  the  making  of  translations  from 
the  Greek  New  Testament  into  Hebrew.  Barnas  Sears,  who, 
according  to  the  catalogue  for  1835-36,  was  the  professor  of 
biblical  theology  at  the  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theological 
Institution,  Hamilton,  New  York,  the  first  year  that  Mr.  Colver 
was  there,  was  now  the  president  of  Newton  Theological 
Institution  and  its  professor  of  Christian  Theology.  One  of 
Mr.  Colver's  classmates  at  Newton  was  Ebenezer  Dodge,  who 
afterwards  became  widely  known  as  a  teacher  of  theology  and  as 
the  president  of  Madison  (now  Colgate)  University.  Another 
classmate  was  John  Hunt.  He  was  a  classmate  of  Mr.  Colver's 
for  not  only  the  three  years  at  Newton,  but  he  was  also  his 
classmate  during  his  last  three  years  at  Brown  University.  Mr. 
Hunt  had  the  distinction,  in  1920,  of  being  the  oldest  living 
graduate  both  of  Brown  and  of  Newton. 

During  Mr.  Colver's  last  year  at  Newton,  about  two-thirds 
of  the  members  of  his  class  petitioned  to  be  honorably  dismissed 
from  the  institution  and  permitted  to  re-enter  as  special  stu- 
dents. Their  object,  for  some  unrecorded  reason,  apparently 
was  in  that  way  to  avoid  being  required  to  attend  further  certain 
instruction.  The  result  was  that  after  considerable  perturba- 
tion in  the  faculty  and  among  the  trustees  the  request  was 
granted  and  there  was  a  resignation  from  the  faculty. 


NINE  YEARS  OF  HARD  STUDY  149 

Charles  Kendrick  Colver  was  graduated  from  Newton 
Theological  Institution  on  August  20,  1845.  In  accordance 
with  what  was  then  the  custom  there,  the  members  of  the 
graduating  class  committed  to  memory  and  delivered  as  they 
would  orations  what  were  called  essays.  Mr.  Colver's  subject 
was  "The  Eternity  of  God  as  Connected  with  Speculative 
Difficulties  in  Theology. "  He  showed  that  he  had  been  think- 
ing on  deep  questions  to  which  he  desired  to  find  answers.  His 
conclusion,  however,  was  that  there  must  ever  "remain  con- 
nected with  the  nature  and  acts  of  Jehovah  insolvable  mysteries. 
But  pure,  blameless  ignorance  concerning  questions  known  to 
be  beyond  our  reach  is  seldom  a  source  of  painful  anxiety.  Led 
in  our  meditations  clearly  to  perceive  the  boundaries  of  our 
knowledge,  humbled  by  the  narrowness  of  the  human  vision, 
and  filled  with  adoring  reverence  for  the  incomprehensible 
Jehovah,  we  shall  lose  our  anxiety  in  cheerful  confidence,  while 
we  wait  for  those  developments  of  the  Eternal  Mind  with  which 
He  may  condescend  to  satisfy  our  expanding  souls  during  the 
long  experience  of  an  endless  life." 

These  few  sentences,  with  which  he  closed  his  essay,  perhaps 
express  better  than  any  other  words  would  Mr.  Colver's  mental 
attitude  as  he  neared  the  end  of  his  life.  A  lifetime  of  thought 
and  study  left  him  pretty  much  where  he  was  when  he  wrote 
those  sentences,  except  that  he  realized  even  more  clearly  human 
limitations.  But  he  believed  with  his  whole  heart  in  God  and 
left  his  unsolved  problems  to  him.  He  was  possibly  even  less 
certain  than  he  was  in  his  younger  days  as  to  how  much  he 
actually  knew  concerning  many  things,  yet  he  faced  everything 
calmly  and  trustingly,  confident  that  whatever  the  Lord  might 
ordain  or  do  would  be  right  and  for  the  best. 

Rev.  John  Hunt  wrote  two  letters  in  the  early  part  of  1920, 
in  what  was  for  him  his  ninety-eighth  year,  in  which  he  gave  his 
recollections  of  Mr.  Colver  as  he  knew  him  as  his  classmate 
at  Brown  and  at  Newton,  briefly  describing  him  physically, 


I$o         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

mentally,  as  a  student,  as  a  Christian  man  and  worker,  and  in  his 
relations  with  his  father.  Combining  the  two  letters,  Mr.  Hunt 
said,  substantially,  that  he  never  knew  of  Mr.  Colver's  losing  a 
day  from  sickness.  He  had  a  sound  and  vigorous  constitution. 
He  inherited  a  good  mind  and  body,  which  fitted  him  for  long 
and  useful  work,  and  to  stand  better  than  many.  He  always 
appeared  of  about  the  same  mood  and  state.  He  had  much 
cheerfulness.  He  was  not  depressed  in  his  intercourse  with 
others.  He  was  good  company  in  society.  He  dressed  neatly 
and  decently,  always.  There  was  nothing  flighty,  or  change- 
able, or  unbecoming  about  him. 

Mr.  Colver,  Mr.  Hunt  went  on  to  say,  was  a  diligent  student 
and  faithful  in  the  performance  of  college  duties.  As  a  scholar 
he  was  above  the  average.  Throughout  his  whole  course  he  was 
an  earnest  Christian  worker,  consistent  and  even  in  his  work, 
words,  and  acts.  He  meant  to  throw  his  influence  on  the  right 
side  always,  and  to  make  his  work  do  good.  He  expressed  him- 
self freely  on  all  proper  occasions,  no  matter  whom  it  might  hit. 
He  cared  not  whether  his  words  made  him  popular  or  unpopular. 
He  meant  right,  and  meant  to  stand  for  the  truth.  He  was  a 
good  and  faithful  friend  to  do  good  to  all,  and  an  enemy  to 
none,  except  to  the  enemies  of  the  truth. 

Nor  did  Mr.  Colver  confine  himself  entirely  to  his  duties  as  a 
student,  but  engaged  in  religious  work  and  preached  more  or  less. 
He  was  a  copy  of  his  father  in  body  and  in  mind.  They  were 
one  in  work,  in  views,  and  in  doctrine.  They  worked  together 
in  perfect  unity,  always  united,  and  always  speaking  from  the 
heart — no  hypocrites.  They  both  took  strong  ground  on  the 
antislavery  side.  "Brother  Colver  was  always  ready  to  assist 
his  father  in  meetings,  and  sometimes  I  think  was  quite  a  help 
while  at  Newton.  I  thought  much  of  Charles  K.  Colver  as  a 
Christian  scholar  and  preacher." 


1900 


THE  THREE  SUCCESSIVE  BAPTIST  MEETINGHOUSES  IN 
WATERTOWN,  MASSACHUSETTS 


CHAPTER  III 
EARLY  MINISTRY 

It  spoke  well  for  Mr.  Colver  that  a  church  located  within 
three  miles  of  the  Newton  Theological  Institution,  one  which 
had  to  some  extent  been  fostered  by  the  latter,  voted  unani- 
mously, shortly  after  his  graduation  from  Newton,  to  call  him 
to  its  pastorate.  The  church  was  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Watertown,  Massachusetts.  Watertown,  which  is  about  seven 
miles  west  of  Boston,  was  settled  in  1630,  at  much  the  same  time 
that  Boston  was.  The  First  Baptist  Church  of  Watertown 
was  founded  just  two  hundred  years  later,  in  1830.  When  it 
called  Mr.  Colver  to  become  its  pastor  it  had  a  membership  of 
over  two  hundred,  which  made  it  one  of  the  larger  Baptist 
churches  of  the  state.1 

Three  months  passed  before  Mr.  Colver  wrote  a  letter  of 
acceptance.  He  waited  until  after  he  had  been  able  to  spend  a 
month  with  the  church,  during  which  time,  he  stated  in  the 
letter,  he  had  endeavored  by  protracted,  prayerful  inquiry,  and 
in  various  ways,  to  ascertain  the  Master's  will.  "It  is  no  less 
criminal, "  he  said,  "  to  withhold  service  when  commanded  than 

to  rush  forward  unbidden He  whose  conduct  is  regulated 

by  the  commands  of  Jesus  Christ  may  safely  look  to  his  Lord  for 
needed  resources.  But  the  great  question  for  you  and  for  me 
to  determine  is  this,  By  what  decision  and  by  what  course  of 
action  may  we  secure  the  approbation  and  assistance  of  God  ?" 

1  There  were  at  that  time  225  Baptist  churches  in  Massachusetts,  with 
a  total  membership  of  30,108.  Of  these  churches,  113  had  a  membership 
of  less  than  100  each;  75  had  a  membership  of  from  100  to  200  each;  22 
had  a  membership  of  from  200  to  300  each;  and  the  remaining  15  had 
memberships  ranging  between  300  and  900  each. — Forty-fourth  Annual 
Report  of  the  Massachusetts  Baptist  Convention,  May  28,  1846. 


152          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

An  ecclesiastical  council  was  convened  at  Watertown  on 
December  24,  1845,  for  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Colver  as  a 
Baptist  minister.  The  public  exercises  were  held  on  January  8, 
1846.  These  included  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  by  Dr. 
Rollin  H.  Neale;  a  sermon  by  Dr.  Nathaniel  Colver;  the 
ordaining  prayer  by  Dr.  Daniel  Sharp;  and  the  concluding 
prayer  by  Dr.  S.  F.  Smith,  the  author  of  "America." 

For  four  years  and  a  little  more  Mr.  Colver  labored  faith- 
fully at  Watertown,  "as  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ,"  as  he 
expressed  it.  He  went  there,  he  said,  because  it  seemed  to  be  the 
indication  of  the  divine  will  that  he  should  do  it.  The  work  which 
the  obligations  imposed  by  his  ordination  seemed  to  involve 
on  his  part  he  endeavored  to  perform,  not  shunning  to  declare, 
so  far  as  he  might  be  able,  all  the  counsel  of  God.  This  he  stated 
in  his  letter  of  resignation,  dated  January  13,  1850,  and  he  con- 
tinued: "How  far  the  effort  has  been  successful,  I  may  not 
judge;  but  in  regard  to  my  purposes,  motives,  and  feelings,  I 
may  speak  with  confidence.  I  have  loved  this  people.  I  have 
labored  to  promote  your  best  interest.  I  have  desired  your 
perfection  and  salvation.  I  have  been  conscious  of  no  wish  to 
shrink  from  responsibility  or  sacrifice.  So  long  as  the  path  of 
duty  was  known,  my  great  object  has  been,  and  it  is  now,  faith- 
fully to  fulfil  my  ministry.  I  am  not  aware  of  being  influenced 
by  personal  interests  or  feelings,  or  by  motives  at  variance  with 
a  primary  regard  for  your  welfare.  The  will  of  God  is  what  I 
seek.  That  will  manifested,  I  accept  with  equal  thankfulness, 
whether  it  bid  me  labor  here  or  elsewhere.  The  severing  of 
Christian  ties  will  cause  pain;  but  this  pain  is  more  than 
counterbalanced  by  the  privilege  of  conforming  to  the  divine 
will,  in  connection  with  the  firm  belief  that  God  will  secure  the 
interest  of  his  own  cause. " 

Mr.  Colver's  second  pastorate  was  as  the  second  pastor  of 
the  Pleasant  Street  Baptist  Church  of  Worcester,  Massachu- 
setts. 


EARLY  MINISTRY  153 

Worcester  was  an  important  and  fast-growing  industrial 
center.  It  had  in  1850  a  population  of  17,000.  Although  the 
settlement  of  the  town  dated  from  1713,  it  was  ninety-nine  years 
after  that,  in  1812,  before  the  First  Baptist  Church  was  organ- 
ized, and  that  was  but  the  third  organized  body  of  worshipers 
in  the  town.  One  writer  significantly  remarks  that  "the  only 
Baptists  known  here  in  colonial  times  were  brought  by  the 
constables  of  neighboring  towns  to  be  held  in  jail  for  non- 
payment of  their  ministerial  rates."1 

The  Pleasant  Street  Baptist  Church  was  organized  in  1841 
as  the  Second  Baptist  Church  of  Worcester.  Its  first  place  of 
worship  was  in  the  town  hall.  After  that  it  built  a  meeting- 
house on  Pleasant  Street,  on  part  of  a  cow  yard  about  200  feet 
west  of  Main  Street,  which  some  persons  thought  was  too  far 
back  from  Main  Street.  Its  membership  was  nominally  about 
three  hundred  when  on  March  15,  1850,  it  called  Mr.  Colver, 
who  had  preached  for  it  for  five  or  six  Sundays,  to  become  its 
pastor,  with  a  salary  of  eight  hundred  dollars  a  year.  He  was 
also  to  be  allowed  to  be  absent  on  a  vacation  for  six  weeks  in 
each  year,  with  the  understanding,  however,  that  the  church 
treasury  should  not  be  drawn  upon  for  defraying  the  expense  of 
supplying  the  pulpit  during  his  absence.  This  provision  for  an 
annual  vacation  was  made  because  his  health,  which  had 
appeared  to  be  so  good  while  he  was  a  student,  was  now  showing 
some  weakness,  and  it  seemed  as  though  it  would  have  to  be 
recruited  each  year.  On  April  14  he  accepted  the  call. 

It  was  said  with  regard  to  his  pastorate,  that  he  "filled  the 
position  with  great  benefit  to  the  church.  "2  It  was  also  said  that 
"his  faithful  words  and  warm  sympathy  with  many  of  the 
families  in  sorrows  and  bereavements  were  long  remembered."3 

1  Arthur  J.  Bean,  in  History  of  Worcester  and  Its  People,  by  Charles 
Nutt.     (New  York:  Lewis  Historical  Publishing  Co.,  1919),  II,  827. 

2  Worcester:  Its  Pas  land  Present  (Worcester:  Oliver  P.Woods,  1888),  p.  66. 

3  History  of  the  Pleasant  Street  Baptist  Church,  prepared  by  the  Clerk 
to  be  read  at  the  Seventy-fifth  Anniversary  held  on  January  i,  1917. 


154         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

The  letter  of  the  church,  in  1852,  to  the  Worcester  Bap- 
tist Association,  as  published  in  the  " Minutes,"  said,  "The 
wants  of  the  hunted  fugitive  from  slavery  have  been  allowed  to 
move  our  hearts  and  our  hands, "  which  were  probably  the  words 
of  Mr.  Colver.  The  letter  of  the  church  to  the  association  two 
years  afterward  was:  "Our  pastor,  Rev.  C.  K.  Colver,  who  had 
labored  unceasingly  to  make  straight  and  plain  the  path  of  duty 
before  us,  felt  constrained,  on  account  of  ill  health,  to  leave  us 
in  May." 

A  History  of  Worcester  says  that  after  a  little  more  than  four 
years  of  labor  Mr.  Colver  received  an  offer  of  a  voyage  to  Val- 
paraiso, and  his  failing  health,  with  the  advice  of  friends,  induced 
him  to  accept  the  offer.  After  making  his  determination  known 
to  the  church,  he  devoted  the  time  before  that  for  sailing  in  the 
most  earnest  endeavors  to  diminish  the  church  debt,  which 
efforts  were  crowned  with  success.  During  the  time  in  which 
he  was  the  pastor  of  Pleasant  Street  Baptist  Church,  the  moral 
strength  of  the  church  increased;  a  debt  of  long  standing  was 
diminished,  and  through  his  efforts  mainly  one  of  the  best  organs 
in  the  city  was  placed  in  the  church.  The  accessions  by  baptism 
during  the  period  of  his  pastoral  (labors  were  the  same  as  during 
the  corresponding  period  immediately  prior  to  his  pastorate. 
"  Mr.  Colver  was  a  faithful  pastor,  a  bold  and  fearless  preacher, 
a  devoted,  conscientious,  consistent  Christian,  and  a  firm, 
faithful  friend.  With  him,  to  determine  that  a  course  of  action 
was  right  was  to  enter  upon  that  course  without  'conferring  with 
flesh  and  blood.'  He  was  a  ripe  scholar,  and  the  light  of  learning 
was  all  brought  to  bear  upon  the  elucidation  of  divine  truth."1 

The  records  of  the  church  state  that  at  an  adjourned  meeting 
of  the  church  which  was  held  on  April  14,  1854,  when  Mr.  Colver 
was  out  of  the  city,  "  the  pastor  being  absent,  free  remarks  were 

1  Charles  Hersey,  "History  of  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  from  1836  to 
1861,"  in  Lincoln  and  Hersey,  A  History  of  Worcester  (Worcester:  Charles 
Hersey  [1861]),  p.  326. 


EARLY  MINISTRY  155 

indulged  in  in  regard  to  the  character  of  his  preaching;  and  a 
strong  expression  of  high  estimation,  with  respect  to  the  sound- 
ness, straightforwardness,  unflinching  faithfulness,  and  distin- 
guished ability  of  his  discourses  seemed  to  be  the  prevailing 
characteristic  of  all  the  remarks  on  that  point.  A  high  regard 
was  also  expressed  for  him  as  an  upright,  devoted,  self-sacrificing 
servant  of  Christ." 

On  April  28,  1854,  Mr.  Colver  tendered  his  resignation  on 
account  of  his  poor  health  and  his  proposed  voyage  to  Val- 
paraiso, Chile,  a  voyage  that  it  was  expected  would  require  a 
large  part  of  a  year.  He  began  his  letter  of  resignation  with  the 
characteristic  statement  that  "the  relation  of  a  pastor  to  his 
people  involves  so  much  of  sacredness  and  of  grave  responsi- 
bility that  it  should  not  be  assumed  nor  laid  aside  without 
prayerful  reflection  and  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  Lord's 
approval."  In  accepting  his  resignation,  the  church  passed 
resolutions  of  sympathy  with  him  on  account  of  the  "feeble 
state  of  his  health,"  and  declaring  "that  we  will  endeavor  to 
profit  by  the  truths  of  the  gospel  which  he  has  so  faithfully 
labored  to  instil  into  our  minds,  and  also  by  the  example  of  an 
upright  Christian  deportment  which  he  has  uniformly  mani- 
fested since  his  connection  with  us;  that  we  will  cherish  a  kind 
remembrance  of  him  and  his  untiring  efforts  to  do  us  good ;  and 
that  he  be  requested  to  continue  as  our  pastor  until  the  time 
fixed  for  his  departure  from  Worcester."1 

No  information  has  been  preserved  about  the  voyage  to 
South  America,  and  none  as  to  how  much  Mr.  Colver's  health 
was  benefited  by  it.  When  he  returned  home,  however,  it  was 
to  undergo  what  was  for  him  an  almost  paralyzing  blow — the 
loss  of  his  wife,  who  was,  prior  to  their  marriage  on  June  i,  1846, 
Miss  Esther  B.  B.  Hill,  daughter  of  Deacon  Samuel  Hill,  of 
South  Boston.  Mr.  Colver  was  greatly  attached  to  her;  but 

1  Mr.  Colver's  successor  in  this  pulpit  was  Rev.  Daniel  W.  Faunce,  the 
father  of  Dr.  W.  H.  P.  Faunce,  the  present  president  of  Brown  University. 


156          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

disease  seized  her,  and  on  September  15,  1855,  carried  her  off. 
It  took  him  a  long  while  to  get  over  the  benumbing  effect  of 
losing  her,  although  in  the  meantime  he  devoted  himself  to 
ministerial  work  as  best  he  could. 

His  father  was  then  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Detroit,  Michigan,  and  Mr.  Colver  went  to  Detroit  and  assisted 
him.  When  his  father  insisted  on  resigning  from  that  pastorate, 
to  take  effect  in  April,  1856,  Mr.  Colver  was  asked  to  take  his 
place,  at  a  salary  of  $1,000  a  year.  He  hesitated  about  doing  it, 
although  he  held  himself  in  readiness  to  enter  any  field  of  labor 
that  duty  seemed  to  indicate.  He  particularly  expressed  an 
apprehension  that  the  climate  might  not  agree  with  him,  and 
that  on  that  account  he  might  not  be  able  to  perform  the  duties 
required  of  a  pastor;  but  he  finally  concluded  to  try  it.  The 
church  had  then  a  membership  of  about  four  hundred. 

The  church  was  not  in  a  very  satisfactory  spiritual  condition 
when  his  father  became  its  pastor,  and,  notwithstanding  that 
strenuous  efforts  had  been  made  during  his  father's  pastorate 
to  improve  its  condition,  it  had  not  been  brought  entirely  to  the 
desired  standard  by  the  time  that  Dr.  Colver  left  it.  That  was 
shown  by  the  letter  of  the  church,  dated  September  26,  1856, 
to  the  Michigan  Baptist  Association.  It  stated  that  in  laboring 
to  discharge  their  obligations  as  Christians,  and  to  maintain 
proper  discipline  in  the  church,  duty  had  seemed  to  compel 
them  to  exscind  many  of  their  members.  "Before  the  resigna- 
tion of  our  late  beloved  pastor,  Rev.  N.  Colver,  the  church  felt 
that,  collectively  and  individually,  some  new  and  decisive  action 
was  necessary  to  promote  its  best  interests.  Acting  in  accord- 
ance with  this,  several  days  of  fasting  and  prayer  were  held,  and 
an  effort  was  made  by  our  pastor  to  make  each  member  feel  his 
individual  responsibility,  return  to  God,  and  do  his  first  works. 
A  long  series  of  business  meetings  were  held,  a  minute  and 
thorough  investigation  was  made  of  the  state  of  the  church,  and 
all  absent  and  delinquent  members  were  looked  after.  When 


EARLY  MINISTRY  157 

these  first  steps  had  been  taken,  a  gradual  awakening  to  the 
vital  importance  of  religion  and  the  worth  of  the  soul  took  the 

place  of  long  continued  apathy  and  indifference During 

the  winter,  our  pastor,  feeling  that  duty  called  him  to  another 
field  of  labor,  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  our  present  pastor, 
in  whom  the  church  are  all  united.  Under  his  faithful  and 
judicious  ministrations  we  hope  to  be  blessed,  and  that  the  cause 
of  Christ  will  be  promoted."1 

Sixty  years  after  these  pastorates,  in  December,  1916,  two 
framed  crayon  portraits  were  unveiled  in  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Detroit.  One  of  them  was  of  Nathaniel  Colver;  the 
other,  of  Charles  Kendrick  Colver — father  and  son.  The 
portrait  of  the  former  was  draped  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes, 
and  that  of  the  latter  with  the  white  flag  of  peace  bearing  on  a 
blue  field  the  red  cross.  This,  in  a  beautiful  manner,  suggested 
something  of  the  individualities  of  the  two  men,  who,  although 
they  were  remarkably  alike  in  many  respects  and  were  har- 
monious in  their  views,  were  yet  possessed  of  strong,  differing 
personalities. 

In  Nathaniel  Colver  there  was  much  of  the  militant.  Or, 
as  Dr.  Charles  H.  Watson,  of  Boston,  recently  said:  "Colver 
was  a  lion. "  Charles  Kendrick  Colver,  on  the  other  hand,  had 
more  of  the  character  of  the  lamb  and  sought  more  the  paths  of 
peace,  although  he,  like  his  father,  was  neither  weakling  nor 

1  Rev.  Samuel  Haskell,  in  a  historical  discourse  delivered  in  September, 
1877,  after  describing  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  Nathaniel  Colver  continued: 
"In  this  his  son,  Rev.  Charles  K.  Colver,  who  after  his  early  bereavement 
was  spending  some  time  at  his  parental  home,  shared  usefully  in  ministerial 
labors.  These  labors  led  to  the  call  of  the  younger  Colver  to  the  pastorate, 
after  his  father's  resignation.  A  laborious  and  faithful  ministry  of  fifteen 
months  followed.  The  young  pastor  gave  himself  to  earnest  labor,  both 
in  the  pulpit  and  from  house  to  house.  It  was  a  worthy  supplement  to  the 
good  work  of  his  father." — A  Half-Century  Memorial:  Second  Quarter- 
Century  Historical  and  Biographical  Sketch  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in 
Detroit  (Detroit,  1877),  p.  38. 


158  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

coward,  but  was  "one  who  never  turned  his  back  but  marched 
breast  forward. " 

The  inscription  on  the  name  plates  for  the  pictures  were  also 
significant.  That  of  the  one  tersely  described  Nathaniel  Colver, 
the  man  of  intense  action,  as  "Preacher,  Abolitionist,  Educa- 
tor." The  other  described  Charles  Kendrick  Colver  as  "A 
Man  of  Exceptional  Character;  A  Scholar  Firm  for  the  Truth." 

Mrs.  Marceline  B.  Hudson,  of  Detroit,  when  inquired  of  in 
the  fall  of  1919,  remembered  them  both  quite  well.  She  was  a 
young  girl  when  Dr.  Colver  became  the  pastor  of  the  church  in 
1853.  She  began  to  read  the  Bible,  and  was  converted,  she  said, 
under  the  preaching  of  Charles  K.  Colver,  but  did  not  join  the 
church  until  after  he  left;  and  she  thought  it  was  the  same  with  a 
great  many  others.  Mr.  Colver,  she  went  on  to  state,  still 
showed  that  the  loss  of  his  wife  had  been  a  great  blow  to  him. 
He  was  rather  reserved.  He  did  not  mingle  freely  with  people. 
He  lacked  the  contact  which  endeared  his  father  to  them. 
Perhaps  he  was  best  described  as  somewhat  of  an  ascetic.  As 
to  dress,  he  was  somewhat  indifferent,  but  not  careless.  He 
always  dressed  in  black.  His  sermons  were  powerful,  searching, 
and  spiritual.  They  seemed  to  be  even  more  spiritual  than  his 
father's.  He  was  more  scholarly  than  his  father  was;  but  he 
was  not  so  popular  as  his  father  was.  He  did  not  have  very 
much  to  do  with  outside  matters,  such  as  the  reforms  of  the 
times  to  which  his  father  gave  a  great  deal  of  attention.  Some 
of  Mr.  Colver's  texts,  which  have  been  remembered  all  these 
years,  were:  "Were  there  not  ten  cleansed?  but  where  are  the 
nine?"1  "Will  ye  also  go  away?"2  "Grieve  not  the  holy 
Spirit  of  God,"3  "Search  the  scriptures;  for  in  them  ye  think 
ye  have  eternal  life;  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me."4 
Mrs.  Hudson  added:  "I  had  the  feeling  that  he  was  preaching 
right  at  me. " 

1  Luke  17: 17.  2  John  6: 68.  3  Eph.  4:30.  «  John  5 139. 


EARLY  MINISTRY  159 

On  being  asked  the  question  whether  she  thought  that,  in 
his  way,  Mr.  Colver  showed  himself  of  equal  ability  with  his 
father,  Mrs.  Hudson  answered:  "Yes.  He  was  more  of  a 
student  and  a  deeper  thinker  than  his  father  was;  but  he  was 
not  so  forceful  as  was  his  father. "  Then  the  question  was  asked : 
"Was  Charles  K.  Colver  as  interesting  a  speaker  as  his  father 
was?"  That  was  answered  much  the  same  as  was  the  first 
question:  "Yes,  but  he  was  quieter  than  his  father  was;  his 
father  used  more  gestures. " 

Mrs.  Hudson  stated  further  that  there  were  those  in  the 
church  at  that  time  who  hindered  the  pastors  in  their  work. 
Some  members  were  strongly  in  favor  of  slavery,  but  more  were 
the  other  way.  It  was  the  pro-slavery  element,  few  in  num- 
bers but  very  powerful,  that  caused  the  most  trouble  for  the 
pastors.  Dr.  Colver  helped  along  the  underground  railway. 
His  resignation  was  greatly  regretted  by  many.  He  was 
one  whose  friends  were  very  devoted,  but  whose  enemies 
hated  him.  Charles  K.  Colver  did  not  make  enemies  as  his 
father  did. 

From  Detroit  Mr.  Colver  returned  for  a  few  years  to  Massa- 
chusetts, where  he  served,  for  short  periods  each,  several 
churches  which  seemed  to  need  him,  most  of  them  being  at  the 
time  in  an  unhealthy  condition.  First  he  went  to  the  High 
Street  Baptist  Church  of  Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  where  he 
was  the  pastor  for  some  time  between  the  latter  part  of  1857 
and  the  early  part  of  1859,  although  of  his  pastorate  there  as 
well  as  of  the  church  itself  but  little  tangible  evidence  remains. 
Possibly  he  labored  there  for  a  while  before  accepting  the 
responsibilities  of  a  pastor,  as  it  was  more  than  seven  months 
after  he  resigned  at  Detroit  before  the  Detroit  church  was  asked 
for  a  letter  of  dismission,  which  request  the  church  complied 
with  on  March  18,  1858,  by  voting  him  "a  letter  of  commenda- 
tion and  dismission,  with  testimonials  of  esteem,  to  unite  with 
a  Baptist  church  at  Charlestown." 


160          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Charlestown,  founded  in  1628  and  annexed  to  the  city  of 
Boston  in  1873,  holds  a  very  interesting  place  in  early  Baptist 
church  history,  but  a  rather  indifferent  one  in  that  of  later 
times.  It  has  been  recorded  that  in  1665  some  residents  of 
Charlestown  separated  themselves  from  the  First  Parish  Church 
"because  of  (i)  infant  baptism,  (2)  their  allowing  of  none  but 
such  as  had  human  learning  to  be  in  the  ministry,  (3)  their 
severe  dealing  with  those  of  a  contrary  judgment  from  them- 
selves. "  These  persons  were  joined  by  others  from  neighboring 
towns  who  were  in  sympathy  with  them,  and  together  they 
organized  a  Baptist  church  which  in  1668  had  about  twenty 
members.  Their  action  was  denounced  by  the  civil  authorities 
and  those  engaged  in  it  were  looked  upon  as  disturbers  of  the 
public  peace.  They  were  summoned  before  the  magistrates  at 
different  times  and  subjected  to  disfranchisement,  fines,  and 
other  annoyances  bred  of  the  intolerant  spirit  that  then  pre- 
vailed. The  general  court  even  ordered  some  of  them  to  depart 
from  its  jurisdiction,  on  pain  of  imprisonment;  and  some  of 
them  were  confined  in  the  jail  at  Boston  for  nearly  a  year.  For 
fourteen  years  they  held  their  meetings  in  private  dwelling- 
houses  in  Charlestown,  in  Boston,  and  in  other  places,  the 
zealous  vigilance  of  the  authorities  rendering  it  impossible  for 
them  to  assemble  in  a  public  manner.  But  by  1679  a  more 
tolerant  spirit  prevailed,  a  small  house  of  worship  was  erected 
in  Boston,  and  the  church  finally  became  located  there,  as  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Boston. 

More  than  120  years  elapsed  after  that  before  another 
attempt  was  made  to  form  a  Baptist  church  in  Charlestown. 
Then,  in  1801,  the  present  First  Baptist  Church  of  Charlestown 
was  organized.  From  that  in  1844  the  High  Street  Baptist 
Church  was  formed,  with  some  220  members,  "because  an  influ- 
ential minority  objected  to  the  employment  of  an  evangelist.  "x 

1  History  of  the  High  Street  Baptist  Church  in  Charlestown,  Massachusetts 
(Boston:  Press  of  J.  Howe,  1853),  pp.  3  ff. 


EARLY  MINISTRY  161 

A  glimpse  of  the  Sabbath  school  of  the  High  Street  Baptist 
Church  and  an  indication  of  what  the  field  was,  is  furnished  by 
the  City  Advertiser,  of  Charlestown,  of  June  16,  1858,  which 
stated  that  the  fifteenth  anniversary  of  the  school  was  appro- 
priately observed  on  the  preceding  Sabbath  afternoon.  It  said 
that,  in  addition  to  exercises  in  which  the  children  took  part, 
an  "interesting  discourse"  was  delivered  by  the  pastor, 
Rev.  Charles  K.  Colver,  founded  upon  the  seventh  verse  of  the 
Seventy-eighth  Psalm:  "That  they  might  set  their  hope  in 
God,  and  not  forget  the  works  of  God,  but  keep  his  command- 
ments. "  As  the  paper  summarized  it,  Mr.  Colver,  in  adverting 
to  the  object  of  the  Sabbath  school,  said  that  it  was  to  produce 
true  practical  knowledge  of  the  gospel,  which  done,  the  effect 
would  be  to  produce  a  true  religion,  the  end  of  which  was  the 
foundation  of  a  true  religious  character.  The  school,  the  paper 
went  on  to  say,  was  composed  chiefly  of  destitute  children  who 
had  been  reclaimed  from  sin,  clothed,  and  educated  at  the 
expense  of  the  society.  It  consisted  of  31  classes  composed 
of  375  scholars,  and  was  in  a  prosperous  condition. 

An  event  of  general  historical  interest  was  recorded  by  the 
Advertiser  of  August  18,  1858,  when  it  reported  that  there  was 
an  illumination  of  the  city  on  the  preceding  evening  and  general 
rejoicing  of  the  citizens  on  account  of  the  completion  of  the 
Atlantic  telegraph  and  the  sending  of  the  first  messages  over  it, 
in  which  the  people  of  Charlestown  took  an  especial  interest 
because  Professor  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse  was  born  in  Charlestown. 

Mr.  Colver  did  not  deem  it  his  duty  to  remain  with  the  High 
Street  Baptist  Church  beyond  June,  1859,  if  he  remained  with  it 
that  long.  For  the  next  two  years  he  labored  temporarily  in 
different  places,  where  he  seemed  to  be  the  most  needed. 

South  Abington  (now  Whitman),  Massachusetts,  was  one  of 
those  places.  He  supplied  the  pulpit  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  South  Abington  for  approximately  nine  months  from 
about  July  i,  1859,  while  some  accounts  would  make  him  the 


162          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

pastor  there  for  that  time.  His  father  was  the  pastor  there  for 
one  year,  from  April,  1852,  and  after  he  resigned  the  church 
asked  Mr.  Colver  to  become  its  pastor,  but  he  did  not  see  his 
way  clear  to  accept  the  call.  In  1859  the  church  had  been 
without  a  pastor  for  some  time,  and  he  apparently  went  there 
to  help  it  out.  This  is  indicated  by  the  statement  of  the  pastor 
who  followed  him,  that  "Rev.  C.  K.  Colver  supplied  the  desk 
nine  months,  commencing  July  i,  1859 ";J  while  another  and 
later  pastor  said,  in  a  carefully  prepared  historical  discourse, 
that  "the  church  remained  without  a  pastor  two  years  and 
seven  months,  though  favored  with  the  excellent  labors  of 
Rev.  Charles  K.  Colver  about  nine  months  of  that  time.  "2 

Mr.  Colver  had  a  special  interest,  too,  in  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  South  Abington,  because  on  October  25,  1858,  while 
he  was  yet  a  pastor  in  Charlestown,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Susanna  Champney  Reed,  of  South  Abington,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  South  Abington.  His 
friends  hoped  that  this  marriage  would  not  only  give  him  needed 
companionship,  but  that  it  would  also  be  a  great  help  to  him  in 
his  pastoral  work.  Instead  of  very  much  of  such  help,  how- 
ever, it  brought  to  him  within  a  couple  of  years  a  new  test  of 
his  character,  which  continued  throughout  the  remainder  of  his 
active  public  ministry  and  could  not  but  more  or  less  affect  the 
latter.  This  test  came  in  the  form  of  such  a  failure  of  his  wife's 
health  that  she  thereafter  more  or  less  of  the  time  required 
some  degree  of  care  and  to  be  relieved  of  some  of  the  manage- 
ment and  work  of  the  household.  Joined  with  this  came  a 
considerable  part  of  the  care  and  most  of  the  training  of  the 

1  Rev.  N.  Judson  Clark  in  History  of  the  Town  of  Abington,  Plymouth 
County,  Massachusetts,  by  Benjamin  Hobart  (Boston:  T.  H.  Carter  &  Son, 
1866),  p.  201. 

a  Rev.  Chas.  A.  Snow,  Historical  Discourse  Given  on  the  Fiftieth  Anni- 
versary of  the  Baptist  Church,  South  Abington,  Mass.,  November  6,  1872 
(South  Abington:  Published  by  the  Church,  1873),  p.  24. 


EARLY  MINISTRY  163 

daughter  who  had  been  born  unto  them  on  November  15,  1859, 
and  who  had  been  by  them  named  Susan  Esther  Colver.  Mr. 
Colver  never  delegated  to  others  very  many  of  these  duties, 
but  he  assumed  them  as  specially  appointed  for  himself.  Nor 
did  he  ever  treat  this  situation  as  calling  for  anything  like  sac- 
rifice on  his  part,  but  as  being  perfectly  natural  and  what  it 
should  be,  under  all  of  the  circumstances.  He  never  sought 
to  make  capital  out  of  doing  what  he  considered  was  his  duty. 

In  1 86 1  Mr.  Colver  received  a  call  from  the  Baptist  Church 
in  Andover,  Massachusetts,  which  he  accepted.  Puritanic 
Andover,  which  in  earlier  times  had  been  obsessed  with  a  belief 
in  witchcraft  and  had  even  had  several  so-called  witches  hung, 
did  not  at  first  like  the  Baptists,  and  for  a  long  time  refused  to 
exempt  them  from  taxation  for  the  support  of  the  parish 
churches.  But  the  persistence  of  the  Baptists,  with  the  influ- 
ence of  others  who  abetted  them  in  it,  eventually  secured,  or 
helped  to  secure,  general  freedom  of  worship  and  the  abolition 
of  other  than  voluntary  taxation  for  the  support  of  religious 
teachers  and  churches.  Then,  as  it  often  occurred,  after  there 
had  been  repression  and  all  restrictions  were  removed,  that  a 
meetinghouse  was  built  where  a  church  could  hardly  be  main- 
tained, so  it  apparently  was  in  Andover,  where  a  Baptist  church 
was  organized  in  1832,  which  practically  abandoned  the  field  in 
1857,  but  was  re-established  in  the  following  year.  As  an  aid 
to  the  support  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Andover,  the  lower 
story  of  its  meetinghouse,  which  was  built  on  the  hillside  near 
the  business  center  of  the  village,  has  practically  always  been 
rented  out  for  use  for  a  general  store. 

Andover  must  also  be  remembered  as  long  the  seat  of  the 
Andover  Theological  Seminary.  There  must  have  been  much 
in  the  theological  and  scholastic  atmosphere  of  the  place  that 
was  congenial  to  Mr.  Colver,  and  he  was  admirably  adapted  to 
fill  a  pulpit  there,  particularly  so  far  as  he  might  have  students 
from  the  seminary  or  persons  imbued  with  its  spirit  to  whom 


164         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

to  preach.  But  they  were  few  at  the  Baptist  Church.  More- 
over, the  times  and  the  conditions  were  generally  unfavorable 
for  successful  church  work.  Mr.  Colver's  pastorate  at  Andover 
was  from  August,  1861,  to  November,  1863. x  That  was  within 
the  most  distressing  portion  of  the  Civil  War,  and  strange  as  it 
may  first  seem  to  some,  war  times  are  not  particularly  good  times 
for  churches  and  church  work. 

The  Baptist  Church  in  Andover  belonged  to  what  was  known 
as  the  Lowell  Association.  Something  of  how  the  churches  of  the 
latter  and  of  how  Mr.  Colver  looked  upon  the  war  was  shown  by 
a  report  of  the  Association  for  1862,  signed  by  Mr.  Colver,  which 
stated  that  the  letters  from  the  churches  spoke  of  losses  by 
death  and  by  the  absence  of  members  engaged  in  military  serv- 
ice; and  that  expressions  of  sympathy  with  the  government  of 
the  United  States  were  frequent  and  earnest.  "  The  President's 
recent  proclamation  in  reference  to  slaves  in  rebellious  states," 
the  report  added,  "is  hailed  as  looking  in  the  right  direction,  and 
encouraging  hope  that  by  military  necessity  God  will  wrest  from 
us  that  which  a  simple  regard  for  justice  has  failed  to  yield. 
Terrible  as  are  these  scenes  of  blood  and  of  woe,  they  are 
accepted  as  an  answer  to  prayer,  as  God's  way  and  means  of 
satisfying  righteousness  and  establishing  justice. " 

Mr.  Charles  N.  L.  Stone,  a  deacon  in  the  church,  who 
remembered  Mr.  Colver  quite  well,  said  in  1919  that  "Mr. 
Colver  was  a  modest  man,  who  dressed  neatly,  but  was  not  over- 
careful  about  his  clothes.  He  was  a  first-class  preacher;  I 
know  that  well.  He  preached  without  the  use  of  notes.  His 
preaching  was  deep;  it  went  right  to  the  bottom.  There  was 
nothing  wishy-washy  about  it.  It  was  grand  preaching.  He 
was  quite  a  friend  of  ours.  My  father  considered  him  a  great 
scholar,  and  thought  a  great  deal  of  him.  But  his  preaching 
was  too  deep  for  some  people.  He  did  not  get  very  much 

1  Sarah  Loring  Bailey,  Historical  Sketches  of  Andover,  Massachusetts 
(Boston:  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  1880),  p.  502. 


EARLY  MINISTRY  165 

salary,  as  the  members  of  the  church,  who  numberd  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  persons,  were,  generally  speaking,  quite  poor. 
This  was  not  a  Baptist  town." 

The  Andover  pastorate  was  Mr.  Colver's  last  pastorate  in 
the  East. 

His  health  appears  to  have  improved;  but  throughout  the 
remainder  of  his  life  it  seemed  to  demand  plain  living  as  one  of 
the  conditions  of  its  preservation.  Plain  living  was  equally  as 
important  for  Mrs.  Colver.  Medicine  would  not  help  her — plain 
living  would;  in  fact,  it  was  absolutely  essential  to  her  welfare, 
just  as  it  was  to  Mr.  Colver's.  Therefore,  the  family  became 
known  to  an  extent  for  its  plain  living,  without  all  of  the  reasons 
for  it  being  understood. 


CHAPTER  IV 

PASTORATES  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN 

The  call  of  duty  in  some  form,  perhaps  largely  in  the  fact 
that  his  father  was  then  located  in  Chicago  and  wanted  him 
nearer,  caused  Mr.  Colver  to  transfer  his  ministerial  labors  from 
Massachusetts  to  Illinois.  There  is  a  slight  confusion  about  the 
exact  date  that  he  did  it,  as  he  is  credited  in  a  list  of  pastors 
of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Elgin,  Illinois,  with  having  begun 
his  service  as  pastor  of  that  church  in  October,  1863  ,x  while  the 
records  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Andover  state  that  he  tendered 
his  resignation  there  on  November  23,  1863.  The  explanation 
may  be  that  he  visited  Elgin  and  preached  there  for  some  Sun- 
days before  he  formally  resigned  at  Andover.  At  any  rate,  there 
was  not  much  time  lost  between  the  two  pastorates. 

Naturally  there  were  some  contrasts  in  the  conditions  which 
he  left  and  those  to  which  he  went.  Still  they  were  not  so 
many  nor  so  great  as  might  be  imagined.  Probably  one  of  the 
most  important  was  in  the  more  democratic  spirit  evinced  in 
the  greater  social  and  religious  freedom  and  friendliness  in  the 
younger  state  than  in  the  older.  As  to  Baptist  churches,  there 
were  those  in  Illinois  as  old  and  as  strong  as  many  of  those  in 
New  England;  and  a  couple  of  the  places  in  Wisconsin  in 
which  Mr.  Colver  had  pastorates  had  in  a  way  a  greater  relative 
importance,  as  had  also  the  Baptist  churches  in  them,  years 
before  Mr.  Colver  went  to  them  than  they  had  in  his  time  or 
have  ever  had  since. 

xThe  list  of  pastors  gives:  "Rev.  Charles  K.  Colver,  October,  1863, 
to  November,  1867,  four  years."— Fear  Book  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Elgin,  III.,  1907. 

166 


PASTORATES  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  167 

By  coincidence,  there  was  a  striking  similarity  of  charm  of 
place  in  all  of  Mr.  Colver's  pastorates  in  Illinois  and  in  Wis- 
consin, which  were  two  in  the  former,  and  three  in  the  latter 
state.  They  were  all  places  delightful  of  location  because  they 
were  situated  on  low  hills  or  on  slightly  elevated  and  rolling 
ground  on  the  banks  of  beautiful  streams.  These  streams  in  all 
probability  led  to  the  original  settlements,  because  they  assured 
an  abundant  supply  of  water  at  all  times  and  for  all  necessary 
purposes,  including  natural  power  to  turn  wheels  to  grind  grain 
and  to  saw  lumber,  which  was  of  the  utmost  importance  in  a 
new  country  where  transportation  was  slow  and  difficult, 
especially  in  the  winter  and  in  the  spring,  and  when  the  distance 
to  the  nearest  mill  anywhere  about  was  often  comparatively 
great. 

So  it  was  that  in  1835  Elgin,  Illinois,  was  founded  on 
the  banks  of  the  Fox  River,  about  thirty-six  miles  northwesterly 
from  Chicago,  and  a  substitute  for  a  mill  was  very  soon 
improvised.  This  latter  consisted  simply  of  a  section  of  a 
thick  log,  cut  about  6  feet  in  length,  which  was  set  up  on  one  end 
and  was  hollowed  out  deep  at  the  other  like  a  huge  mortar,  with 
a  long-handled  pestle  or  pounder  attached  to  a  spring  pole  after 
the  manner  of  a  well  sweep.  With  this  rude  device,  a  somewhat 
enlarged  and  modified  form  of  the  aboriginal  mills,  grain  was 
ground,  or  rather  pounded,  into  meal.  It  proved  to  be  a  great 
convenience  temporarily  for  the  first  settlers.  Moreover,  it  was 
toll-free,  the  only  exaction  by  the  owner  being  that  each  man 
should  do  his  own  pounding.  But  in  1836,  or  as  soon  as  it 
could  well  be  done,  a  gristmill  was  built  on  one  side  of  the 
river,  and  a  sawmill  on  the  other,  with  one  dam  for  the  use 
of  both. 

After  the  most  pressing  physical  wants  were  provided  for, 
religious  and  educational  needs  were  generally  early  looked  after 
in  pioneer  settlements  of  sufficient  size,  both  in  Illinois  and  in 
adjacent  states.  Meetings  of  some  kind,  perhaps  at  first  only 


1 68          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

prayer  meetings  or  else  meetings  where  published  sermons 
would  be  read,  were  usually  arranged  for  as  soon  as  practicable. 
As  a  rule,  they  were  held  at  first  in  private  houses  and  were 
undenominational,  or  "union,"  in  character.  When  a  minister 
came,  in  order  to  get  more  room,  the  meetings  might  be  held 
in  some  convenient  new  barn,  or,  when  the  weather  invited  it, 
out  of  doors  in  the  great  temple  of  the  Almighty;  and  as  soon 
as  a  schoolhouse  was  built  it  would  be  pretty  certain  to  be 
the  place.  Then  would  come  church  organization,  and  after 
that  the  building  of  some  kind  of  a  house  of  worship.  For  the 
Baptists  at  first,  and  often  for  many  years,  some  beautiful 
stream  would  serve  as  a  baptistry,  as  did  streams  in  New 
Testament  times. 

In  Elgin  the  first  meeting  was  held  in  September,  1835,  in  a 
private  house,  where  a  sermon  was  read;  and  that  log  house 
continued  to  be  used  for  meetings  for  some  time;  also  in  it  the 
first  school  was  opened,  either  that  same  fall  or  in  the  summer 
of  1836. 

The  formal  organization  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Elgin 
was  effected  on  July  14,  1838,  with  thirteen  members.  It  was 
under  the  "New  Hampshire  Articles  of  Faith."  It  took  place 
in  a  log  cabin.  The  first  communion  service  of  the  church  was 
celebrated  in  a  barn,  and  the  church  continued  for  some  months 
to  hold  its  meetings  either  in  a  barn  or  in  private  houses. 

The  first  distinctive  house  of  worship  in  Elgin  was  built  in 
1839.  It  was  a  frame  one,  either  24  by  28  or  25  by  30  feet  in 
size.  It  was  called  the  "Elgin  Chapel,"  or  the  "Elgin  Union 
Chapel,"  the  latter  designation  being  due  to  the  fact  that  it  was 
owned  jointly  by  the  Baptists  and  the  Congregationalists  and 
was  used  by  them  respectively  on  alternate  Sundays  for  about 
four  years.  Then  the  Baptists  bought  out  the  interest  of  the 
Congregationalists.  In  1849  the  Baptists  built  a  new  and  larger 
church,  of  cobblestones,  a  material  that  was  plentiful  and  from 
which  several  of  the  best  of  the  early  residences  were  constructed. 


PASTORATES  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  169 

This  building  was  used  for  church  purposes  until  1870,  and  it 
was  then  converted  into  a  schoolhouse.1 

Something  of  what  Elgin  was  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Colver's 
pastorate  there  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  in  1860  its  popula- 
tion was  2,797,  and  by  1870  it  was  5,441.  But  his  ministry  there 
was  during  the  latter  part  of  the  Civil  War  and  the  beginning  of 
the  subsequent  era  of  reconstruction,  which  were  trying  times 
for  almost  everyone  everywhere;  still,  his  pastorate  has  been 
included  within  the  period  of  the  history  of  the  church  wherein 
the  latter  has  been  described  as  having  "enjoyed  a  good  degree 
of  spiritual  and  temporal  prosperity." 

While  the  war  was  ruthlessly  destroying  lives  and  property 
and  spreading  woe  throughout  the  land,  Mr.  Colver  kept  calm 
and  confined  himself  closely  to  what  he  deemed  his  particular 
duties.  He  sought  to  do  his  entire  duty,  as  he  saw  it  with 
sympathetic  vision.  But  he  never  forgot  the  call  of  eternity  in 
that  of  the  passing  hour.  He  declared  the  full  Bible  message,  as 
he  understood  it.  His  mission  was  not  to  inflame  men's  minds 
unnecessarily,  but  to  tell  them  where  and  how  they  could  find 
true  peace.  Yet  he  strove  with  all  of  the  power  at  his  command 
to  help  them  bear  their  burdens  and  solve  their  perplexing  prob- 
lems, in  the  light  of  the  gospel,  encouraging  and  strengthening 
them  by  his  ministry.  He  also  did  what  he  could  to  comfort 
the  sorrowing.  Nor  did  he  forget  his  bleeding  country,  for  his 
regard  for  government  and  duly  constituted  authority  within 
its  proper  sphere  was  second  only  to  his  reverence  for  the 
sovereignty  and  laws  of  God,  and  he  had  the  utmost  sympathy 
with  the  efforts  to  abolish  slavery  and  to  preserve  the  Union. 

There  are  still  several  persons  in  Elgin  who  remember  Mr. 
Colver's  pastorate  there,  who  unite  in  speaking  of  it  in  high 
terms  generally.  They  all  agree  that  he  was  an  exceptional  man, 

1  The  Past  and  Present  of  Kane  County,  Illinois  (Chicago:  W.  Le 
Baron,  Jr.,  &  Co.,  1878),  p.  371;  Kane  County  (Chicago:  Beers,  Leggett 
&  Co.,  1888),  pp.  1016  ff.;  Joslyn,  History  of  Kane  County  (Chicago:  Pioneer 
Publishing  Co.,  1908). 


170          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

a  deep  student  of  the  Bible,  who  preached  many  doctrinal 
sermons;  or,  as  one  woman  quite  recently  expressed  it:  "He 
was  a  born  student;  and  he  meant  to  have  the  people  well 
grounded  in  the  faith. "  She  said  that  some  thought  him  very 
radical,  but  that  she  did  not  think  him  so;  that  his  preaching 
was  more  conservative  than  his  father's.  He  was  unassuming, 
too.  If  he  was  asked  anything  that  he  did  not  know,  he  would 
say  frankly  that  he  did  not  know  it.  She  also  referred  to 
him  as  "a  man  of  great  kindness  of  heart,"  and  to  Mrs.  Colver 
as  "a  very  sweet  woman." 

Mrs.  A.  Gilbert,  whose  father,  Deacon  Padelford,  lived  on  a 
farm  near  Elgin,  says  that  "  Rev.  Charles  K.  Colver  and  family 
added  much  to  my  childhood  joys.  He  seemed  to  have  perfect 
health  while  in  Elgin.  He  loved  to  come  out  to  the  farm  and  to 
jump  on  to  the  bobsleigh  and  to  help  to  bring  in  wood  from  the 
wood  lot.  I  can  still  see  how  active  he  was,  and  how  he  would 
play  with  the  children.  We  were  always  proud  of  him  in  the  pul- 
pit. He  seemed  to  have  a  wonderful  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures. 
I  think  that  he  studied  them  prayerfully,  and  that  God  helped 
him  to  open  up  His  truths  and  to  make  them  plain  to  us.  Even 
we  children  could  grasp  them.  I  remember  that  his  text  once 
was  'That  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  .... 
and  that  every  tongue  should  confess.'1  Oh,  how  sacredly  the 
name  of  Jesus  was  brought  out.  I  shall  never  forget  the  impres- 
sion that  it  made  on  me.  Then,  at  the  family  altar,  in  our  home, 
he  never  read  from  the  Bible  without  explaining  it  as  he  went 
along;  and  how  we  loved  to  hear  him  I  cannot  find  words  to 
express.  Out  of  the  fulness  of  his  heart  his  mouth  spoke.  To 
me  he  was  a  man  with  a  richly  stored  mind  and  a  noble  soul, 
sowing  good,  pure  seed  wherever  he  went.  I  thank  my  dear 
Heavenly  Father  for  having  given  it  to  me  to  know  Mr.  Colver. " 

That  Mr.  Colver  appeared  to  one  who  lived  in  his  family 
practically  as  he  did  to  others  was  shown  by  letters  written 

'Phil.  2:10. 


PASTORATES  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  171 

recently  from  South  Pasadena,  California,  by  Mrs.  Amelia  M. 
Vail,  who  lived  for  some  time  in  his  home  in  Elgin  while  she 
attended  the  Elgin  Academy  and  prepared  herself  to  become  a 
school  teacher.  She  said  that  "Mr.  Colver  had  a  very  strong 
personality.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions,  who  lived 
up  to  those  convictions.  He  was  also  a  very  scholarly  man.  He 
could  always  give  a  reason  for  what  he  had  to  say.  He  was 
constantly  delving  into  his  Hebrew  and  Greek  Bible  to  find  the 
original  meaning  of  some  passage  of  Scripture.  He  was  a  fine 
speaker;  and  a  fine  singer.  He  could  fill  any  pulpit." 

Moreover,  Mrs.  Vail  said  that  "Mr.  Colver  was  very 
democratic.  Foolish  pride  did  not  enter  into  his  lif e  at  all.  He 
was  fond  of  gardening,  and  worked  early  and  late  among  his 
vegetables.  One  evening  the  pastor  of  the  African  Baptist 
Church  called  and  asked  him  to  go  to  that  church  the  following 
evening  and  'plow  around  among  the  souls  for  a  little  while.' 
Mr.  Colver  went,  as  requested." 

Ministers  in  those  days  did  a  large  amount  of  visiting  among 
the  members  of  their  churches;  and  Mr.  Colver  would  often 
hitch  up  his  horse  to  the  buggy,  and,  with  Mrs.  Colver  and  their 
little  daughter,  go  to  spend  the  day,  or  sometimes  longer  in 
visiting  members  of  the  church,  many  of  whom  lived  in  the 
country;  or  they  would  go  to  visit  members  of  a  country  church 
for  which  Mr.  Colver  often  preached  on  Sunday  afternoons. 

"Mr.  Colver  took  many  papers  and  periodicals,  and  was 
always  perfectly  informed  on  current  matters.  He  was  inter- 
ested in  political  issues,  the  termination  of  the  war,  and  such 
things,  but  never  discussed  them,  so  far  as  can  now  be  recalled, 
except  with  his  father." 

Two  donation  parties  were  remembered.  "  The  farmers  came 
in  with  bags  of  potatoes,  turnips,  cabbages,  etc.,  to  be  put  into 
the  cellar;  and  there  was  cake  enough  in  the  house  when  the 
people  left  to  feed  a  family  of  twenty  for  a  week. "  Something 
special  was  also  given  to  each  member  of  the  household. 


172          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

"Mr.  Colver,"  Mrs.  Vail  further  said,  "was  very  much 
beloved  by  those  who  understood  him.  He  was  exceedingly 
devoted  to  his  wife,  who  was  a  very  sweet  and  lovable  woman, 
but  very  frail  in  health." 

After  closing  his  ministerial  labors  in  Elgin,  Mr.  Colver, 
early  in  January,  1868,  accepted  and  entered  upon  the  pastorate 
of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Mount  Carroll,  Illinois,  situated 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  west  of  Chicago,  and 
ten  or  twelve  miles  east  of  the  Mississippi  River. 

Mount  Carroll  was  a  place  that  had  an  early  local  importance 
as  the  county  seat  of  Carroll  County  and  as  a  business  center 
for  a  rich  agricultural  district.  It  was  built  for  the  most  part 
lengthwise  along  the  top  of  a  hill  partly  encircled  by  a  pictur- 
esque stream  that  had  in  places  cut  its  way  down  many  feet 
through  rocky  strata  and  that  was  soon  set  to  work  by  the 
pioneers,  first  to  run  a  gristmill  and  then  to  run  a  sawmill  as 
well.  In  1868,  Mount  Carroll  probably  had  a  population  of 
between  1,200  and  1,800;  and  it  has  not  grown  greatly  since 
then. 

Today  the  chief  distinction  and  pride  of  Mount  Carroll  is  in 
having  the  Frances  Shimer  School  of  the  University  of  Chicago, 
with  all  that  that  means  in  cultural  influence;  and  for  the  school, 
which  is  called  a  home  school  for  girls  and  young  women,  Mount 
Carroll  is  perhaps  as  fine  a  location  as  could  well  be  found  any- 
where. The  school,  which  now  has  eight  modern,  harmonious 
and  attractive  buildings,  solidly  constructed  of  brick  and  stone, 
on  a  spacious  campus  adorned  with  many  large  trees,  was 
founded  in  1853  and  was  for  a  long  time  known  as  the  Mount 
Carroll  Seminary. 

A  former  teacher  in  the  seminary  once  declared  that  she  had 
learned  more  from  Mr.  Colver's  preaching  than  she  ever  did 
from  that  of  anyone  else,  because  he  said  so  many  things  that 
she  at  first  questioned,  but  when  she  looked  them  up,  she 
invariably  found  that  he  was  correct  in  his  statements. 


PASTORATES  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  173 

The  wife  of  the  church  clerk  in  those  days  describes  Mr. 
Colver  as  having  been  a  tall,  strong-looking  man,  who  gave 
one  the  impression  of  intellectual  power,  as  his  speech  did  too; 
she  said  that  she  and  her  husband  felt  very  warmly  toward 
him  and  considered  him  "a  fine  preacher";  that  while  he  was 
not  sensational  enough  for  some,  and  some  thought  that  he 
preached  too  much  doctrine,  she  and  her  husband  felt  that 
"he  preached  the  gospel,"  as  they  understood  it;  that  he  was 
true  to  his  convictions;  that  they  always  felt  that  they  knew 
where  he  stood. 

One  of  the  substantial  business  men  of  Mount  Carroll 
stated  not  very  long  ago  that  he  was  glad  that  in  his  formative 
years  he  heard  Mr.  Colver  preach;  that  Mr.  Colver  was  a 
strong,  sterling  man,  and  a  thinker;  that  he  preached  funda- 
mental doctrines  in  such  a  manner  that  one  could  not  get  away 
from  them;  and  that  he  was  a  thorough  teacher. 

To  show  how  warm  and  tender-hearted  Mr.  Colver  was,  the 
man  said  that  Mr.  Colver  had  an  old  gray  mare,  called 
"  Katie, "  which,  if  tired,  might  stop  to  rest  at  a  hill,  and  that 
he  would  wait  patiently,  even  half  an  hour  if  necessary,  until 
"Katie"  was  ready  to  go. 

The  Carroll  County  Mirror  of  February  18, 1868,  in  reporting 
what  it  described  as  the  last  public  exercises  of  the  Mount 
Carroll  Literary  Association,  which  were  held  in  the  Union 
School  building,  said  that  they  were  attended  by  a  large  and 
appreciative  audience,  and  that  the  chief  feature  of  the  evening 
was  an  address  by  Rev.  C.  K.  Colver,  on  the  "Desirableness  of 
Self-Reliance. "  Then,  after  stating  that  it  had  not  the  space  to 
give  an  epitome  of  the  address,  the  paper  continued:  "It  is 
enough  to  say  that  it  was  listened  to  with  profound  attention. 
Mr.  Colver  demonstrated  that  he  is  as  much  at  home  in  the 
lecture  room  as  in  the  pulpit.  His  illustrations  were  pointed, 
clear,  and  appropriate;  and  the  address  could  not  fail  to  do 
much  good." 


174          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

In  reporting  a  meeting  of  the  Carroll  County  Sunday  School 
Teachers'  Association,  held  in  the  Baptist  church  in  September, 
1869,  the  Mirror  said  that,  on  Wednesday,  Rev.  C.  K.  Colver 
addressed  the  Association  on  "What  Constitutes  a  Good 
Teacher,  and  How  Good  Teachers  Can  Be  Obtained."  On 
Thursday  evening  he  spoke  on  "The  Importance  of  the  Sabbath 
School  Work."  On  Friday  he  introduced  the  discussion  of  the 
topics:  "How  to  Secure  the  Early  Conversion  of  Sabbath  School 
Children" ;  "  How  Can  Parents  Be  Brought  with  Their  Children 
into  the  Sabbath  School?"  and  "Responsive  Reading." 

The  annual  Thanksgiving  sermon  for  1869  the  Mirror 
announced  would  be  preached  by  Rev.  C.  K.  Colver,  in  the 
Baptist  Church,  where  all  of  the  churches  proposed  to  meet  and 
engage  in  the  services.  The  following  week  the  paper  reported 
that  he  preached  the  sermon  from  the  text:  "The  mighty  God, 
even  the  Lord,  hath  spoken,  and  called  the  earth  from  the  rising 
sun  unto  the  going  down  thereof,"1  and  that  the  sermon  "was 
listened  to  with  manifest  interest. " 

The  letter  which  the  church  sent  in  August,  1869,  to  the 
Dixon  Baptist  Association,  described  the  year  as  "  one  of  instruc- 
tion and  ingathering,"  with  an  "increase  in  spiritual  grace." 

This  pastorate  was  terminated  in  the  spring  of  i8yo;2  but, 
besides  his  pastoral  work,  Mr.  Colver  had  been  doing  consider- 
able teaching  in  the  Mount  Carroll  Seminary,  and  continued 
the  latter  for  perhaps  a  year  or  so  longer,  giving  to  it  for  a  while 
practically  all  of  his  time.  For  a  considerable  period  he,  with 
his  family,  lived  in  the  Seminary  building;  then  he  bought  near 
it  a  small  house  and  garden  plot. 

The  permanent  importance  to  the  Seminary  at  that  stage 
of  its  development  of  the  close  connection,  for  several  years, 

1  Ps.  50:1. 

2  The  First  Baptist  Church  of  Mount  Carroll  was  organized  August 
28,  1853,  with  fourteen  members.     Rev.  C.  K.  Colver  "was  pastor  from 
January,  1868,  to  the  spring  of  1870."    History  of  Carroll  County,  Illinois 
(Chicago:  H.  F.  Kett  &  Co.,  1878),  pp.  338-39- 


PASTORATES  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  175 

with  it  and  with  those  who  determined  its  policies,  of  a  scholar 
of  such  ability,  thoroughness,  and  strong  direct  and  indirect 
educational  influence,  may  easily  be  conjectured. 

Just  how  much  satisfaction  Mr.  Colver  himself  took  in  doing 
this  educational  work,  and  whether  he  liked  it  as  well  as,  or 
better  than,  preaching,  is  likewise  a  subject  left  for  speculation. 
But  a  number  of  persons  who  knew  him  quite  a  while  have  said 
they  thought  he  would  have  done  well  if  he  had  devoted  his  life 
entirely  to  teaching,  in  either  a  collegiate  or  a  theological  insti- 
tution, preferably  the  latter.  However,  as  it  was,  he  made  his 
preaching  largely  a  matter  of  teaching,  suggesting  questions  very 
freely  for  the  purpose  of  inducing  thought,  which,  unfortunately, 
did  not  make  for  his  popularity  with  that  large  class  of  people  that 
wants  its  thinking,  especially  its  religious  thinking,  done  for  it. 

In  the  first  number  of  the  Seminary  publication  called  the 
Oread,  which  appeared  in  January,  1869,  an  advertisement  of 
the  Seminary  gave  under  "  Board  of  Instruction  ":  "  Rev.  C.  K. 
Colver,  Languages  and  Phonography."  In  March,  1870,  the 
advertisement  had:  "Rev.  C.  K.  Colver,  Department  of 
Ancient  Languages,"  which  advertisement  was  continued  as  late 
as  December,  1871. 

The  Oread  of  June,  1869,  in  describing  the  Seminary  said: 
"  Ancient  Languages.  This  department  has,  in  Rev.  C.  K. 
Colver,  a  teacher  competent  to  make  it  fully  equal  to  that  of 
any  college  in  the  country."  Under  "  Report  of  the  Examining 
Committee,"  it  was  stated:  "The  Rev.  C.  K.  Colver,  who  has 
in  charge  some  of  the  most  advanced  classes,  is  evidently  a  very 
thorough  and  able  instructor."  He  was  also  mentioned  as 
teaching  "criticism,  Latin,  and  logic";  and  Dr.  J.  A.  Smith, 
editor  of  the  Standard,  of  Chicago,  was  quoted  as  saying  that 
Mr.  Colver  had  "rendered  most  valuable  service,  especially  in 
Latin  and  logic."  In  March,  1870,  the  Oread  said:  "Our 
classes  in  Latin  are  progressing  finely  under  the  thorough  train- 
ing of  Rev.  C.  K.  Colver." 


1 76          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  interesting  to  see  the  following 
short  article,  on  ''Thoroughness,"  that  appeared  in  the  Oread 
of  February,  1869,  which  was  evidently  written  for  it  by  Mr. 
Colver,  as  indicated  by  the  style  of  the  article  and  by  the  "K" 
with  which  it  was  signed,  which  was  his  usual  signature  answer- 
ing to  a  pseudonym. 

"THOROUGHNESS 

"Is  it  true,  that  whatever  is  worth  doing,  is  worth  doing 
well  ?  What  shall  we  say  of  small  matters  ? — admissible  trifles  ? 
— the  tying  of  a  knot? — the  arranging  of  one's  dress? — the 
shaping  of  a  sentence  that  accomplishes  its  purpose  by  being 
uttered  ?  What  is  it  to  do  such  things  well  ? 

"Must  a  glass  bead,  in  order  to  be  well  made,  be  accu- 
rately cut  and  polished  ?  Must  wood  cuts  give  place  to  steel 
engravings?  Are  not  some  things  done  well  by  being  done 
cheaply?  Ah,  then  the  maxim  might  mean  that  such  things 
should  be  done  slightly.  Only  let  them  have  their  own  excel- 
lence, being  so  done  as  best  to  accomplish  their  end  at  an 
expense  not  beyond  their  value. 

"The  making  of  toys  for  children  requires  no  small  expendi- 
ture of  money,  of  time,  of  skill.  Is  the  value  produced  worth 
the  expenditure?  If  it  were  not  so  esteemed,  who  would  be 
willing  to  continue  the  making?  Yet  the  wheelbarrow  well 
made  for  use  on  the  bricks  and  in  the  sand  will  still  differ  from 
the  wheelbarrow  well  made  for  the  play  room  and  the  carpeted 
floor.  The  toy  well  made  for  the  two-year-old  will  differ  from 
the  toy  well  made  for  the  seven-year-old,  or  for  the  fashion 
worshiper  of  still  more  advanced  years. 

"Education,  too,  has  its  toys,  its  trifles.  Are  educational 
toys  worth  the  making?  If  so,  let  them  be  made  well.  Let 
them  not  cost  too  much;  too  much  of  time;  of  life.  Let  not 
the  making  of  them,  nor  the  use  of  them,  supplant  more  sub- 
stantial benefits.  If  they  may  contribute  to  wholesome  gratifi- 
cation, to  the  full,  happy  development  of  the  human  mind  in  its 


PASTORATES  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  177 

various  susceptibilities  and  powers,  then  let  them  have  their 
portion  of  attention.  Gilding  may  be  better  for  some  uses  than 
solid,  heavy  gold. 

"Yet,  with  all  these  allowances,  most  persons  who  act 
thoughtfully  would  choose  some  other  employment,  rather  than 
toy-making,  or  the  use  of  toys;  some  better  occupation  than  to 
be  made  into  toys,  or  to  live  for  show,  or  for  temporary  gratifi- 
cations. Especially  in  the  work  of  education,  of  intellectual 
development,  of  personal  cultivation  and  preparation  for  the 
employments  and  experiences  of  anticipated  years,  the  impor- 
tance of  a  judicious  selection  of  studies  and  pursuits,  and  a 
faithful,  thorough,  persevering  use  of  the  selection  made  can 
scarcely  be  overestimated. 

"K." 

Mr.  Colver  wrote,  too,  some  reviews  of  books  for  the  Oread, 
as,  for  example,  of  a  book  of  first  lessons  in  geology  and  miner- 
alogy, of  a  book  giving  an  alleged  new  and  easy  method  of 
learning  the  German  language,  and  of  a  dictionary  of  the  Bible. 
Of  the  last  he  said  in  part:  "This  book,  like  many  other  valuable 
works  on  biblical  topics,  requires  wakefulness,  discrimination, 
and  a  careful  judgment  on  the  part  of  the  reader.  Without 
these  qualities  of  mind,  one  would  be  little  benefited  by  any 
Bible  dictionary." 

About  April,  1871,  Mr.  Colver  accepted  a  call  from  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  New  Lisbon,  Wisconsin,  a  place  of 
something  like  1,200  population,  situated  in  a  farming  commu- 
nity upward  of  seventy  miles  northwest  of  Madison.  The 
church  had  a  membership  of  considerably  over  one  hundred. 

In  March,  1872,  when  Mr.  Colver's  first  year  there  was 
nearing  completion,  the  record  says  that  the  church  voted: 
"  (ist)  That  a  call  be  extended  to  Rev.  C.  K.  Colver  to  remain 
as  our  pastor  the  coming  year;  (2nd)  that  the  church  pay  him 
for  his  services  six  hundred  dollars  and  make  him  a  donation." 


178          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Mrs.  Joseph  Curtis,  of  New  Lisbon,  reduced  to  writing 
several  years  ago  a  little  of  the  history  of  the  church.  With 
reference  to  the  period  preceding  that  of  Mr.  Colver's  pastorate, 
she  said  that  the  surprising  thing  was  that  pastors  were  as 
successful  in  those  times  as  they  were,  for  the  conditions  were 
very  trying.  Politics  played  a  great  part  in  those  days;  and 
the  large  percentage  of  men  in  the  church — men  of  both  political 
parties,  of  strong  opinions,  extreme  sensitiveness,  and  often 
hasty  speech,  placed  pastors  in  a  position  where  they  had  need 
of  great  wisdom,  if  they  touched  on  the  dominant  questions  of 
the  day.  For  a  time  the  anti-secret-society  agitation  also 
invaded  many  of  the  churches;  but  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  New  Lisbon,  believing  in  personal  responsibility,  refused  to 
make  it  an  issue  and  thereby  escaped  the  turmoil  that  wrecked 
some  other  churches.  But  the  political  excitement  was  quieting 
down,  and  the  church  was  left  more  to  its  regular  work,  before 
Mr.  Colver  was  called  to  the  pastorate.  Indeed,  the  pastorate 
preceding  his  at  New  Lisbon,  Mrs.  Curtis  said,  "ran  high  tide, 
followed  by  an  ebbing  of  prosperity.  There  were  losses  by 
removal,  by  death,  and  by  discipline.  Other  churches  were 
organized,  other  pastors  were  at  work,  and  New  Lisbon  was 
losing  some  of  its  prominence  as  a  pioneer  town." 

Mr.  Colver  was  described  by  Mrs.  Curtis  as  "a  great  student, 
a  deep  thinker,  and  an  able  speaker,  as  well  as  a  good  musician. 
He  could  both  fill  the  pulpit  and  take  the  place  of  a  choir,  if 
need  be.  Wrapped  in  thought,  he  often  passed  people  on  the 
street,  and  was  passed  in  turn,  without  friendly  recognition. 
But  whoever  was  fortunate  enough  to  hear  him  preach  found  a 
very  different-appearing  man.  Well  built,  with  magnificent 
dark  eyes,  short  cut  hair  brushed  straight  up  from  his  forehead, 
he  was  very  much  alive  in  the  pulpit,  where  he  loved  to  scatter 
error  as  chaff  is  winnowed  from  the  wheat." 

Whether  or  not  Mr.  Colver  in  this  instance  received  the  full 
salary  promised  to  him,  which  he  did  not  always  get,  is  problem- 


PASTORATES  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  179 

atic.  Mrs.  Curtis  said  that  he  was  too  easy  with  his  churches 
to  draw  a  good  salary;  that  he  did  not  want  people  pressed  for 
money,  but  favored  letting  them  pay  whatever  they  deemed 
proper,  and  he  said  that  when  they  did  not  pay  him  enough, 
he  would  take  it  as  his  dismissal. 

Mrs.  Curtis  also  tells  with  satisfaction  of  how  Mr.  Colver 
won  the  friendship  of  one  of  her  brothers.  It  was  at  the  noon 
hour,  at  her  father's.  Her  brother  had  been  working  in  the 
field  and,  on  learning  that  the  minister  was  at  the  house,  did 
not  want  to  go  in  to  dinner,  but  wanted  that  brought  out  to 
him,  on  account  of  his  being  in  his  working  clothes,  which  he 
thought  rendered  him  unpresentable.  But  Mr.  Colver  being  the 
minister,  and  learning  of  this,  went  out  and  soon  put  the  young 
man  at  his  ease,  so  that  the  two  went  into  the  house  together, 
and  the  young  man  always  liked  him  very  much  after  that. 

In  addition  to  this,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Curtis  describes  Mr. 
Colver  as  having  been  "a  splendid  preacher,  and  a  grand 
singer,  who  sometimes  greatly  moved  people  with  his  singing." 
She  says  that,  "wearing  a  linen  duster  over  his  regular  suit,  he 
once  went  to  a  meeting  of  a  Baptist  association,  and  was  hardly 
noticed  at  first,  being  taken  for  an  ordinary  delegate.  Then, 
when  it  came  time  for  the  meeting  to  begin,  and  it  was  lamented 
that  there  was  no  organist  present,  Mr.  Colver  quietly  took  his 
place  at  the  organ,  and  astonished  all  with  his  playing.  The 
singing  failed,  and  he  took  that  up,  so  that  the  people  discovered 
that  he  could  both  play  the  organ  and  sing.  Afterward,  he 
preached  to  them,  and  then  they  knew  that  he  could  play,  and 
sing,  and  preach.  He  had  a  powerful  voice,  and  a  pleasant 
one;  and  he  played  and  sang  as  if  he  meant  it  from  the  heart. 
He  was  not  a  man  for  style;  not  in  the  least.  Some  thought 
that  he  was  a  little  hard  to  get  acquainted  with,  but  once  people 
got  acquainted  with  him,  they  found  him  very  friendly.  The 
church  was  greatly  taken  aback,  and  felt  very  sorry,  when  he 
tendered  his  resignation,"  to  go  to  another  field  in  March,  1873, 


l8o          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

whither  he  was  constrained  in  some  way  to  believe  that  duty 
called  him. 

The  church  to  which  Mr.  Colver  went  from  New  Lisbon 
was  the  Menomonie  First  Baptist  Church,  of  Menomonie, 
Wisconsin.  There  his  wisdom  and  courage  as  a  pastor  were 
severely  tried,  as  they  were  nowhere  else,  by  the  development 
of  a  serious  scandal  and  division  in  the  church,  which  eventually 
caused  him  to  sanction  and  even  to  aid  a  seceding  party  in  the 
organization  of  a  new  church,  as  well  as  apparently  placed  him 
in  open  alignment  with  those  who  had  been  opposed  to  the 
predominant  anti-secret-society  party  of  the  First  Church. 

The  Menomonie  First  Baptist  Church  was  organized  in 
December,  1864,  with  ten  members.  Afterward  it  adopted,  or 
incorporated  into  its  covenant,  an  article  against  all  forms  of 
secret  association.  Sworn  secrecy  was  deemed  to  be  incom- 
patible with  His  gospel,  who  said:  "Ye  are  the  light  of  the 
world.  A  city  that  is  set  on  a  hill  cannot  be  hid.  Neither  do 
men  light  a  candle,  and  put  it  under  a  bushel,  but  on  a  candle- 
stick; and  it  giveth  light  unto  all  that  are  in  the  house."1 

Perhaps  Mr.  Colver  was  wanted  for  pastor  of  that  church 
because  he  was  believed  to  be,  on  principle,  in  sympathy  with 
its  position.  Be  that,  however,  as  it  may,  the  weight  of  evi- 
dence at  the  present  time  is  that  at  Menomonie  as  elsewhere 
he  practiced  a  wise  neutrality  on  the  subject  of  secret  societies. 

His  first  year  at  Menomonie  apparently  passed  off  well, 
with  a  number  of  pleasing  incidents  in  it.  For  example,  accord- 
ing to  the  Dunn  County  News,  of  February  7,  1874,  on  the 
preceding  Friday  evening  he  lectured  in  the  Congregational 
church,  before  the  Chippewa  Valley  Teachers'  Association,  on 
"Self-Control."  The  News  said  that  the  lecture  was  "very 
interesting,"  and  "afforded  his  auditors  a  genuine  feast  of 
reason.  He  was  listened  to  from  first  to  last  with  the  closest 

1  Matt.  5:14-15.  Mrs.  Bella  French,  "Menomonie  and  Dunn 
County,  Wisconsin,"  American  Sketch  Book,  I  (1875),  301-2. 


PASTORATES  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  181 

attention  and  evident  approval.  The  teachers,  for  whom  the 
lecture  was  prepared,  were  highly  pleased,  and  it  was  frequently 
referred  to  afterward  in  our  hearing,  and  always  spoken  of  in 
terms  of  praise." 

The  crisis  in  the  church  came  when  on  May  4,  1874,  a  com- 
munication signed  by  eighteen  members  was  presented,  request- 
ing letters  of  dismission  for  the  purpose  of  uniting  in  a  new 
Baptist  church  to  be  formed.  On  May  12,  what  was  called 
the  Olivet  Baptist  Church  of  Menomonie  was  organized  at  a 
meeting  held  at  Mr.  Colver's  residence.  The  basis  of  the 
organization  was  stated  to  be  the  "Articles  of  Faith  and  a 
Covenant  known  as  the  New  Hampshire  Confession  of  Faith." 
Mr.  Colver  became  at  once  the  pastor  of  the  new  church. 

In  the  letter  of  this  church,  dated  May  31,  addressed  to  the 
St.  Croix  Valley  Baptist  Association  and  evidently  written  by 
Mr.  Colver,  it  was  said,  among  other  things:  "We  cordially 
accept  the  Word  of  God  alone,  as  our  constitution.  We  are 
therefore  Baptists.  Human  enactments  and  devices  we  may 
be  jealous  of,  but  the  strictest  right  construction  of  Christ's 
law,  by  whomsoever  brought  to  light,  it  is  our  purpose  to 
maintain.  We  have  covenanted  with  each  other  to  maintain 
the  apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship.  That  fellowship  is  with 
the  Father  and  with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ — broad  enough; 
exclusive  enough.  It  embraces  all  that  the  Father  approves. 
It  shuts  us  in  from  all  from  which  Christ  is  excluded.  We  can 
be  partakers  in  no  association,  in  no  work  in  which  we  must 
part  company  with  Christ.  As  the  truth  is  in  Jesus,  in  the 
love  of  it,  so  would  we  hold  the  truth.  Its  high  standard  of 
faith  and  practice  is  none  too  high."  With  regard  to  the  name, 
the  letter  said:  "We  shall  count  ourselves  happy  if  we  may 
deserve  the  name,  Olivet  Baptist  Church.  Olivet!  the  famil- 
iar retreat  of  Jesus.  Gethsemane  was  there;  there,  too,  was 
Bethany — the  place  of  agony,  of  prayer,  of  resignation;  and, 
not  far  away,  the  welcome  abode  of  solace  and  of  rest." 


182         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

The  letter  a  year  later,  of  the  church  to  the  Association, 
expressed  gratitude  for  peace  and  spiritual  comforts,  with  the 
privileges  of  public  worship,  adding  that  the  occasions  of  solici- 
tude felt  a  year  previous  "may  have  narrowed  our  usefulness, 
but  we  have  ourselves  found  comfort  in  harmonious  labor.  We 
have  endeavored  to  follow  the  things  which  make  for  peace." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Olivet  Baptist  Church  held  on  June  5, 
1875,  it  was  " voted  unanimously"  to  ask  Mr.  Colver  to  remain 
as  pastor;  but  there  is  some  evidence  that  he  terminated  his 
active  pastorate  soon  after  that,  or  by  the  end  of  October, 
although  he  continued  as  nominal  pastor  a  year  or  so  longer. 
The  Dunn  County  News,  of  January  i,  1876,  said:  "It  will  be 
generally  regretted  by  our  citizens  when  it  is  learned  that 
Rev.  C.  K.  Colver  has  accepted  a  call  from  the  Baptist  Church 
of  River  Falls,  and  has  already  departed  with  his  family  for 
the  new  field  of  labor.  Mr.  Colver  is  a  gentleman  of  culture 
and  ability,  and  our  neighbors  at  the  Falls  are  to  be  congratu- 
lated upon  so  desirable  an  acquisition  to  their  society." 

The  Olivet  Baptist  Church  performed  its  mission,  and  that, 
too,  a  very  important  one,  even  if,  "on  the  retirement  of  Mr. 
Colver,  the  church  subsided."1  It  could  not  do  after  he  left  as 
well  as  it  had  done  before;  but  it  continued  to  have  some 
services  for  a  while  and  kept  its  spark  of  life  alive  until  it  was 
disbanded,  on  August  8,  1886,  preceding  the  organization,  on 
August  n,  1886,  of  the  Immanuel  Baptist  Church  of  Menomo- 
nie,  which  is  now  the  only  Baptist  church  in  Menomonie. 

The  records  of  the  Immanuel  Baptist  Church  begin  with 
the  explanatory  statement  that  the  Baptist  cause  in  Menomonie 
after  the  efforts  made  by  the  Olivet  organization  had  been  in  a 
lamentable  condition.  "It  may  seem  strange  that  any  sect 
claiming  as  large  a  number  of  adherents  as  does  the  Baptist 
denomination  in  this  place  is  content  to  remain  for  such  a  length 

1  History  of  Northern  Wisconsin  (Chicago:  Western  Historical  Co., 
1881),  p.  280. 


PASTORATES  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  183 

of  time  without  a  fold  and  shepherd;  but  there  were  compli- 
cations that  were  sufficient  to  make  the  hearts  of  those  most 
loyal  to  the  cause  of  Christ  hesitate  from  making  an  attempt 
at  denominational  work." 

One  explanation,  and  only  a  partial  one,  given  of  the  original 
trouble  was  that  a  prominent  member  of  the  First  Church  had 
built  and  furnished,  at  a  cost  of  $8,000,  the  church  building, 
of  which  he  gave  the  church  the  use  on  the  condition  that  it 
should  continue  to  retain  the  same  distinctive  principles  which 
had  been  adopted;  and  on  the  day  of  the  dedication,  in  1871, 
he  told  the  congregation  that  he  intended  to  deed  the  property 
to  the  church  on  the  same  condition  as  soon  as  the  organization 
was  in  a  position  to  maintain  it  free  from  debt.  "  The  announce- 
ment of  this  intention  greatly  increased  and  strengthened  the 
opposing  influences  which  had  always  operated  against  the 
church  from  various  sources.  But  the  chief  factor  in  those 
influences  was  the  position  of  the  church  against  secret 
societies.  It  resulted  in  the  depletion  of  the  numerical  strength 
of  the  association  by  the  withdrawal  of  eighteen  members  under 
the  leadership  of  Rev.  C.  K.  Colver,  who  was  the  pastor  for  one 
year,  1873-74.  .  .  .  The  majority  of  the  seceding  members 
formed  a  new  organization  known  as  the  Olivet  Baptist  Church, 
which  discarded  the  anti-secret  resolution  that  had  been  adopted 
by  the  First  Church."1 

A  retired  Methodist  minister,  of  Menomonie,  who  remem- 
bers Mr.  Colver  well  as  a  good,  straight  man,  perhaps  a 
little  strict  according  to  his  convictions,  says,  "I  never  heard 
anything  against  him.  I  do  not  think  that  he  made  any  per- 
sonal fight  against  secret  societies,  but  was  neutral.  The  anti- 
secret  society  warfare  was  apparently  futile." 

To  similar  effect  a  prominent  citizen  of  Menomonie,  who 
was  once  a  worker  in  the  First  Baptist  Church  Sunday  school, 

1  History  of  the  Chippewa  Valley,  Wisconsin,  edited  by  George  Forrester 
(Chicago:  A.  Warner,  1892),  pp.  154-55- 


184          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

said  that  he  used  to  hear  Mr.  Colver  preach;  that  "he  was  a 
good  man,  well  thought  of  in  Menomonie.  I  never  heard  him 
say  anything  against  secret  societies,  and  I  do  not  think  he 
preached  against  them,  but  was  silent  on  the  subject,  which 
may  have  had  something  to  do  with  his  leaving  the  First 
Church.  Mr.  Colver  took  an  interest  in  the  Sunday  school, 
and  taught  the  young  men's  Bible  class." 

Mr.  Colver's  last  settled  pastorate  was  with  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church  of  River  Falls,  in  Pierce  County,  Wisconsin. 

River  Falls  had  a  population  of  from  1,200  to  1,500.  It 
had  several  gristmills.  It  was  of  primary  importance  as  a 
trading  center  and  outlet  for  an  extensive  and  prosperous  farm- 
ing community.  Besides  that,  it  became  the  seat  of  the  River 
Falls  State  Normal  School,  which  was  opened  at  nearly  the 
same  time  that  Mr.  Colver  went  to  River  Falls. 

The  First  Baptist  Church  of  River  Falls  was  organized  on 
April  12,  1857,  and  is  the  oldest  church  in  River  Falls.  It  has 
always  been  somewhat  small  in  numbers,  but  generally  strong 
in  a  few  of  its  individual  members,  and  often,  if  not  continuously, 
of  considerable  influence  in  the  community.  Moreover,  Mr. 
Colver's  pastorate,  which  has  officially  been  counted  as  begin- 
ning in  September,  1875,  and  which  extended  into  July,  1879, 
making  it  of  a  little  less  than  four  years'  duration,  was  one  of 
the  longer  pastorates  of  the  church,  which  had  some  five  or  six 
pastors  before  Mr.  Colver  and  has  had  something  like  seven- 
teen since,  with  several  intervals  without  a  pastor.  Many  of 
the  pastorates  were  for  one  year  or  less.  The  salary  which  the 
church  was  able  to  pay  was  small,  and  it  has  been  said  that 
Mr.  Colver  left  the  matter  too  much  to  the  people  to  contribute 
to  his  salary  as  they  felt  able  or  saw  fit.  The  salary  was  some- 
times augmented  once  a  year  by  a  donation  of  produce  and  a 
purse.  The  baptisms  were  always  in  the  river. 

Mr.  Colver's  ministry  in  River  Falls  was  of  the  same  dis- 
tinctive character  as  elsewhere — untiring,  uncompromising, 


PASTORATES  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  185 

earnest,  scholarly,  strong,  and  doctrinal,  yet  with  friendly  re- 
lations with  the  churches  of  other  denominations,  more  par- 
ticularly here  with  the  Congregational  and  Methodist  churches. 
For  instance,  in  November,  1875,  he  preached  the  Thanksgiving 
sermon  at  a  union  service  held  in  the  Methodist  Church. 

Mr.  Colver  was  described  as  "a  speaker  of  unusual  grace, 
talent,  and  refinement"  by  the  River  Falls  Journal  of  September 
17,  1875.  Concerning  him  and  a  lecture  on  "  Self-Control," 
which  he  delivered  at  the  Methodist  Church,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Library  Association,  the  River  Falls  Advance  of  January 
31,  1876,  said  that  "it  was  a  sound,  logical  discourse,  inter- 
spersed with  enough  of  the  amusing  to  give  it  variety,  and,  also, 
to  make  his  subject,  as  well  as  his  discourse,  leave  a  lasting 
impression  upon  the  mind  of  the  hearer.  He  is  an  able,  eloquent 
speaker,  with  a  clear,  well-cultivated  voice,  uniting  correct 
pronunciation  with  distinct  enunciation,  thus  combining  enough 
good  qualities  to  make  him,  as  he  really  is,  one  of  the  finest 
speakers  in  this  part  of  the  country." 

In  commenting  on  an  address  on  "Knowledge"  which  Mr. 
Colver  delivered  before  the  Natural  Science  Association,  the 
Journal  of  January  10,  1878,  said  that  "the  speaker,  with  his 
usual  closeness  of  reasoning,  fortified  his  position  so  strongly 
that  all  attempts  to  break  through  the  line  proved  failures. 
The  address  was  as  full  of  topics  for  thought  as  an  egg  is  of  meat, 
and  was  listened  to  with  manifest  interest  by  a  large  audience." 
A  paper  by  Mr.  Colver  before  the  Science  Association  on 
"Trance  and  Epidemic  Delusions,"  made  timely  by  local  occur- 
rences, the  Journal  of  March  28,  1878,  reported  "was  listened 
to  by  a  large  audience.  The  speaker  claimed  that  what  seemed 
to  be  truth  or  delusion  today,  might  prove  to  a  better  informed 
generation  to  be  the  opposite.  Some  preferred  to  be  deluded 
in  some  things.  Some  of  the  issues  of  the  day,  religious  and 
financial,  were  probably  epidemic  delusions.  The  paper  was  not 
only  sound,  but  interesting,  although  the  subject  was  abstruse." 


i86         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Of  a  sermon  on  temperance,  which  Mr.  Colver  preached  at 
a  temperance  meeting  in  the  "hall,"  the  Journal  of  February  20, 
1879,  said  that  "it  was  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  satisfactory 
discussions  of  the  question  we  have  heard  during  the  agitation. 
The  speaker,  who  is  versed  in  the  original  languages  of  the  Bible, 
showed  that  all  the  passages  usually  quoted  by  tipplers  in  defense 
of  their  course  are  really  temperance  precepts.  He  justly  held 
that  he  who  does  not  touch  alcohol  shows  more  control  over  the 
appetite  than  he  who  boasts  of  his  liberty,  saying  that  he  has 
the  power  to  drink  or  to  let  alone,  and,  in  the  face  of  such 
declaration,  daily  takes  strong  drink.  It  gave  much  pleasure 
to  many  to  hear  Mr.  Colver,  who  does  not  form  his  opinions  to 
accord  with  prevailing  sentiments  or  without  a  critical  survey  of 
the  ground  on  which  they  rest,  speak  so  decidedly  in  favor  of 
total  abstinence  as  the  only  true  temperance.  For  sound  reason- 
ing and  sound  sarcasm,  his  discourse  had  no  equal.  The  hall 
was  well  filled,  and  all  were  profited." 

Forty  years  after  Mr.  Colver  left  River  Falls,  different 
persons  there  say  of  him:  "He  was  an  unusual,  a  wonderful 
man";  "he  was  very  scholarly  and  able";  "he  was  a  good 
minister,  and  well  liked";  "he  preached  interesting  gospel  ser- 
mons"; "his  sermons  were  to  the  point,  and  deep";  "he  was 
strong  in  his  convictions " ;  "he  always  said  just  what  he  meant ; 
he  did  not  mince  matters";  "he  was  a  plain-speaking,  rugged, 
forceful  character,  whom  everybody  liked  to  hear  preach"; 
"he  was  too  big  a  man  for  this  place." 

One  woman  says  that  Mr.  Colver  went  to  River  Falls  to 
do  what  he  could  to  build  up  the  church,  which  was  rather 
weak.  "He  had  no  stated  salary,  but  just  took  what  the  people 
gave  him.  He  did  not  like  extravagance ;  and  he  once  remarked 
on  how  little  we  need  to  make  us  comfortable.  He  did  not  want 
to  dress  so  as  to  attract  attention.  His  sermons  were  biblical, 
and  dealt  with  what  God  wanted  of  his  people,  especially  the 
kind  of  lives  that  he  wanted  them  to  lead."  One  day,  when 


PASTORATES  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  187 

Mr.  Colver  was  at  their  house  and  they  were  all  seated  at  the 
table,  the  woman  said  to  him  that  she  had  wanted  to  ask  him  a 
question,  but  that  she  had  been  afraid  to  do  it.  He  then  asked 
her  why  that  was  so.  She  replied  that  it  was  because  he  was  so 
highly  educated.  He  said  that  he  was  very  sorry  that  she  felt 
that  way  about  him.  He  might  know  some  things,  but  not 
everything.  To  illustrate,  there  was  a  nice  cake  there  on  the 
table,  but  he  did  not  know  how  to  make  one  like  it.  That 
little  conversation  removed  from  her  mind  all  of  that  fear 
of  him. 

For  a  short  time,  while  the  Congregationalists  were  without 
a  pastor,  Mr.  Colver  preached  for  them,  generally  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  in  the  Baptist  Church  in  the  evening,  the  two  con- 
gregations uniting  for  their  services.  A  number  of  the 
Congregationalists  still  speak  very  appreciatively  of  it,  and 
especially  of  having  had  him  to  help  them  with  their  singing. 
One  of  them  says  that  "Mr.  Colver  was  a  tall,  fine-appearing 
man,  with  a  splendid  bass  voice.  The  people  used  to  enjoy 
singing  with  him.  He  drew  a  good  congregation.  His  sermons 
were  deep,  and  grand.  It  was  worth  going  miles  just  to  hear 
him  read  the  Bible.  His  prayers  were  also  very  impressive. 
He  was  a  great  leader,  and  was  equal  to  a  larger  place." 

With  regard  to  the  closing  of  his  pastorate,  the  River  Falls 
Journal  of  July  17,  1879,  stated  that  "Rev.  C.  K.  Colver  has 
severed  his  connection  with  the  Baptist  Church  at  this  place, 
and  will  start  for  Chicago  in  a  few  days,  making  the  trip  with 
his  horses  and  carriage.  Mr.  Colver  is  a  very  learned  and  able 
divine,  and  has  performed  his  pastoral  duties  here  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  his  church.  The  best  wishes  of  our  citizens  go 
with  him  and  his  family." 


CHAPTER  V 
LATER  LIFE  AND  SUMMARY 

The  great  reason  why  Mr.  Colver  moved  to  Chicago  when 
he  did,  in  July,  1879,  was  to  enable  his  daughter,  Susan  Esther 
Colver,  to  attend  the  old  University  of  Chicago,  so  that  she 
could  get  a  collegiate  education  and  prepare  herself  thoroughly 
for  educational  work,  yet  still  live  at  home  where  he  could 
continue  to  oversee  her  studies.  Then,  too,  he  owned  in  Chi- 
cago a  part  of  the  frame  building  of  five  connected  houses  of 
practically  three  stories  in  height,  which  had  been  built  in 
his  father's  time  and  might  be  called  the  "  Colver  Block,"  facing 
south  on  the  north  side  of  what  was  then  Douglas  Avenue,  but 
which  is  now  East  Thirty-fifth  Street,  the  location  being  a  few 
hundred  feet  west  of  Cottage  Grove  Avenue,  and  about  the 
same  distance  almost  directly  south  of  the  old  University 
building. 

Mr.  Colver  did  not  stop  preaching,  but  preached  at  various 
places — where  he  seemed  to  be  needed — that  could  be  reached 
easily  on  Saturday,  as  well  as  sometimes  at  city  missions  and 
other  places  in  Chicago. 

A  deacon  in  the  Baptist  Church  at  Wheaton,  Illinois, 
recently  informed  a  new  pastor  that  "Rev.  Charles  K.  Colver 
came  to  the  Wheaton  Baptist  Church  on  September  30,  1882. 
He  closed  his  work  here  on  October  14,  1883.  He  came  for 
the  express  purpose  of  saving  the  field.  We  were  weak  in 
numbers  and  in  financial  strength.  Some  even  considered 
the  advisability  of  closing  the  church  doors.  Mr.  Colver 
did  not  move  to  Wheaton,  but  he  generally  came  out  in 
time  to  spend  Saturday  in  pastoral  work.  On  Sunday  he 

188 


LATER  LIFE  AND  SUMMARY  189 

occupied  the  pulpit  both  morning  and  evening.  He  also  came 
out  sometimes  for  the  midweek  prayer  service.  He  was 
strong  on  the  doctrines.  He  also  paid  considerable  attention 
to  Old  Testament  sacrifices  and  ordinances,  finding  in  almost 
every  instance  some  lesson  or  application  for  the  life  of  our 
day.  A  resident  of  Wheaton,  who  was  not  a  church  member, 
and,  if  he  was  of  a  religious  character  at  all,  it  was  not  of  a 
very  pronounced  type,  became  interested  in  Mr.  Colver  and 
came  regularly  every  Sunday  evening  to  hear  him  preach,  and 
it  is  doubtful  if  any  of  the  members  of  the  church  could  give  a 
better  analysis  or  quote  more  of  the  sermon  a  week  after  than 
could  that  man.  Mr.  Colver  left  his  mark  upon  the  church, 
even  though  he  was  here  but  a  year;  and  when  he  resigned  we 
were  in  condition  to  call  a  pastor  and  to  continue  the  work." 

Beginning  in  1884,  Mr.  Colver  preached  with  considerable 
regularity  at  Campton,  or,  as  it  was  renamed,  Lily  Lake, 
Illinois,  until,  largely  out  of  the  little  church  there,  a  Baptist 
church  was  organized  in  1890  in  Wasco,  four  miles  east,  where 
a  house  of  worship  was  built  and  dedicated  in  1891,  an  interest 
he  helped  to  start.  A  member  of  that  church  says  that  he 
used  to  come  out  at  the  week-end,  to  preach  on  the  Sabbath. 
He  seemed  to  think  little  about  salary,  and  got  but  little,  perhaps 
hardly  more  than  his  railroad  fare,  Lily  Lake  being  about  forty- 
five  miles  west  of  Chicago.  "  He  was  a  lover  of  the  truth.  His 
preaching  had  no  uncertain  sound.  He  left  the  people  estab- 
lished in  truth  and  righteousness.  He  was  a  great  scholar. 
In  the  pulpit  he  used  to  read,  or  rather  translate  into  English 
for  us,  from  his  Hebrew  and  Greek  Bible,  which  was  the  only 
one  that  he  carried.  He  usually  stopped  at  our  house;  and  we 
loved  hhii  as  a  father.  He  was  a  dear,  godly  man.  It  was  an 
inspiration  to  know  him.  I  wish  that  we  had  more  like  him 
today." 

For  a  time  Mr.  Colver  preached  at  Union  Pier,  Michigan, 
and  one  of  the  family  with  which  he  usually  stayed  over  the 


IQO         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Sabbath,  who  also  sometimes  visited  at  his  house  in  Chicago,  says 
that  he  was  one  of  the  finest  men  that  she  ever  knew;  that  her 
respect  for  him  was  beyond  expression.  "  In  the  pulpit,  he  was 
very  conservative.  He  was  a  teacher,  rather  than  an  exhorter. 
He  had  little  confidence  in  revivals.  He  never  wanted  to  create 
an  ecstasy  of  religious  fervor;  but  he  seemed  to  feel  that  he  was 
standing  on  holy  gound  when  he  was  giving  God's  messages  to 
the  people,  and  his  sermons  impressed  them  with  awe.  He 
made  everyone  in  the  church  feel  his  spirit  of  piety,  until  it 
bordered  on  solemnity.  His  reverence  for  God  was  the  sin- 
cerest  that  mortal  man  could  have.  His  attitude  and  every 
expression  of  his  voice  were  reverent  worship.  Whenever  he 
spoke  the  word  Jehovah — and  he  spoke  it  often — it  seemed  to 
me  that  his  soul  was  glorified,  and  that  he  had  a  vision  not  only 
of  the  power  and  majesty,  but  also  of  the  compassion,  of  the 
Infinite  One.  His  face  even  seemed  illumined  with  reverence 
and  humility.  He  was  one  of  the  most  unaffected  and  unassum- 
ing of  men;  and  he  was  always  self -poised.  Another  thing 
about  him  that  impressed  me  very  much  was  that  I  never  heard 
him  murmur  or  complain.  While  he  was  serious  and  thoughtful 
by  nature,  he  was  at  the  same  time  always  cheerful.  Toward 
those  with  whom  he  became  well  acquainted,  he  was  not  only 
friendly,  but  cordial." 

In  all,  Mr.  Colver  spent  something  like  forty  years  in  pretty 
active  ministerial  labors.1  Besides  his  regular  pastoral  work,  he 
did  also  a  great  deal  of  preaching  as  opportunity  offered  in 

1  To  summarize  them  as  well  as  it  can  now  be  done,  the  pastorates 
of  Rev.  Charles  Kendrick  Colver  were  with  the  Baptist  churches  in  the 
following  places:  Watertown,  Massachusetts,  December,  1845,  to  January, 
1850;  Worcester,  Massachusetts  (Pleasant  Street  Baptist  Church),  April, 
1850,  to  May,  1854;  Detroit,  Michigan  (First  Baptist  Church),  April, 
1856,  to  June,  1857;  Charlestown,  Massachusetts  (High  Street  Baptist 
Church),  about  1857  to  1859;  South  Abington  (now  Whitman),  Massa- 
chusetts, temporarily,  July,  1859,  to  March,  1860;  Andover,  Massachusetts, 
August,  1861,  to  November,  1863;  Elgin,  Illinois,  October,  1863,  to 
November,  1867;  Mount  Carroll,  Illinois,  January,  1868,  to  the  spring 


LATER  LIFE  AND  SUMMARY  191 

places  round  about,  in  that  respect  following  somewhat  the 
example  or  policy  of  his  father,  but  confining  himself  more 
strictly  to  preaching  than  did  his  father,  although  he  also  some- 
times gave  lectures,  especially  on  temperance.  But  whether  he 
preached  or  lectured  in  a  place,  he  was  so  forceful  that,  even  if 
it  was  but  once,  it  was  pretty  apt  to  make  a  lasting  impression  on 
those  who  heard  him,  as  did  a  sermon  or  lecture  by  his  father. 
He  likewise  exerted  a  large  and  wholesome  influence  on  the 
many  associational  meetings  and  church  councils  of  various 
kinds  which  he  attended,  as  well  as  in  the  weekly  meetings  or 
conferences  in  Chicago  of  the  Baptist  ministers  of  Chicago  and 
vicinity,  which  meetings  he  attended  as  regularly  and  as  long 
as  he  could.  The  importance  in  the  aggregate  of  these  outside 
influences  of  his  can  hardly  be  overestimated,  although  for  the 
most  part  unrecorded  and  now  forgotten. 

Nor  did  Mr.  Colver's  life  lose  its  spiritual  value  to  the  world 
when  in  the  course  of  time  he  gradually  gave  up  preaching, 
except  to  help  out  here  and  there  for  a  Sunday  or  so.  That 
simply  gave  him  a  new  sphere  of  influence,  in  giving  him  the 
opportunity,  of  which  he  made  the  most,  of  attending  the  serv- 
ices of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago,  of  which  he  was 
then  a  member,  and  of  which  Rev.  P.  S.  Henson  was  the  pastor. 
Bad  weather  never  kept  Mr.  Colver  away;  but,  except  when  duty 
called  him  elsewhere,  he  would  always  be  at  the  morning  and 


of  1870;  New  Lisbon,  Wisconsin,  April,  1871,  to  March,  1873;  Menomo- 
nie,  Wisconsin  (Menomonie  First  Baptist  Church),  March,  1873,  to  May, 
1874,  and  (Olivet  Baptist  Church),  May,  1874,  to  September,  1875,  but  nomi- 
nally somewhat  longer;  River  Falls,  Wisconsin,  September,  1875,  to  July, 
1879;  Wheaton,  Illinois,  September,  1882,  to  October,  1883.  Intervals 
between  pastorates,  as  in  1860-61  and  in  1879-82  and  shorter  gaps,  and 
much  of  later  years,  were  given  to  supply  work  or  preaching  for  desti- 
tute churches.  At  Mount  Carroll,  Illinois,  educational  work  in  the  Mount 
Carroll  Seminary  was  done  in  addition  to  the  pastoral  work  for  the  church, 
and,  after  the  termination  of  the  latter  in  the  spring  of  1870,  entire  time 
was  given  to  the  educational  work  for  about  a  year,  with  some  outside 
preaching. 


192          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

evening  services  on  Sunday,  at  the  Sunday  school,  the  weekly 
prayer  meeting,  and  the  teachers'  meeting,  which  he  some- 
times led.  His  mere  presence  at  a  meeting,  humble,  reverent, 
extremely  earnest,  and  attentive,  as  well  as  looked  up  to  as 
a  scholar  as  he  was  by  all  who  knew  him,  had  its  influence 
on  all  who  saw  him.  When  he  spoke  in  the  prayer  meetings 
he  was  always  listened  to  as  one  having  a  special  message. 
Naturally,  too,  he  was  frequently  appointed  as  a  delegate  to 
represent  the  church  at  associational  meetings,  ordinations,  or 
church  councils  for  special  purposes.  His  influence  on  such 
occasions  was  always  of  one  kind,  and  never  to  be  discounted. 
Besides,  for  years  he  taught  a  Bible  class  in  the  Sunday  school, 
the  Scriptures  being  studied  in  such  a  manner  as  to  ascertain 
as  nearly  as  possible  their  true  meaning.  To  all  of  the  services 
which  he  attended  he  always  carried  his  Bible,  which  was  a 
rather  large  one,  composed  of  the  Old  Testament  in  Hebrew 
and  the  New  Testament  in  Greek,  bound  together  for  him  in 
one  volume. 

Dr.  Henson  strongly  emphasized  some  of  these  things  when 
he  paid  his  last  tribute  to  him.  He  said  that  Mr.  Colver  was  a 
notable,  scholarly,  and  able  man,  who  had  filled  important 
pastorates,  where  he  was  honored  and  beloved.  He  was  a  man 
of  unusual  character.  Several  things  remarkably  distinguished 
him.  One  of  them  was  the  severe  simplicity  which  marked  his 
whole  life.  If  ever  there  was  a  man  who  obeyed  the  injunction, 
"Be  not  conformed  to  this  world,"1  it  was  Charles  K.  Colver. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  independence  of  thought  and  action. 
He  inherited  this  from  his  father,  Nathaniel  Colver,  who  was  a 
mighty  man  in  Israel,  a  great  warrior,  who  believed  in  contend- 
ing for  the  faith.  Charles  K.  Colver  was  distinguished  also  for 
his  reverence  for  God.  He  seemed  to  realize  the  infinite  majesty 
of  the  Almighty.  He  was  a  great  believer  in  God's  sovereignty. 
He  had  furthermore  a  profound  reverence  for  God's  Book,  loving 

xRom.  12:2. 


LATER  LIFE  AND  SUMMARY  193 

to  study  the  Hebrew  and  Greek  Scriptures.  In  the  prayer 
meetings  at  the  First  Church  he  attracted  attention.  He  had 
something  to  say.  He  spoke  like  the  old  prophets,  for  he  had  a 
message.  In  the  Bible  class  he  would  also  be  greatly  remem- 
bered. And  he  was  no  mean  antagonist  in  the  ministers' 
conference.  How  keen  was  the  edge  of  the  sword  he  wielded!1 

Mr.  William  R.  Raymond,  who  was  for  many  years  the 
clerk  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago,  says  that  in 
imagination  he  can  still  see  Mr.  Colver  and  his  daughter2  on 
Sunday  mornings  going  down  Vernon  Avenue  to  the  church, 
which  was  at  the  corner  of  South  Park  Avenue  and  Thirty-first 
Street,  "Mr.  Colver  with  his  large  Hebrew  and  Greek  Bible 
under  his  arm,  and  father  and  daughter  in  animated  conver- 
sation about  the  lesson  for  the  day.  Mr.  Colver  loved  his 
Bible.  For  years  he  had  a  Bible  class  in  the  Sunday  school.  I 
occasionally  went  to  the  class  that  he  taught,  and  I  was  always 
impressed  with  his  deep  insight  into  the  truths  of  the  lesson. 
He  sought  always  to  draw  out  of  the  class  these  truths,  rather 
than  to  state  his  own  conclusions  from  a  careful  study  of  the 
passage  in  question.  I  used  to  think  that  he  would  have 
impressed  his  class  still  more  had  he  given  his  own  views  as  to 
the  meaning  of  the  lesson,  but  he  adhered  closely  to  the  teacher's 
method  of  drawing  out  of  his  auditors  by  questions  and  reference 
to  the  plain  statement  of  the  Word." 

As  an  example  of  one  of  Mr.  Colver's  talks  in  the  prayer 
meetings  of  the  church,  Mr.  Raymond  says:  "One  of  the 
finest  interpretive  lessons  I  ever  heard  Mr.  Colver  give  was  on 
the  passage  in  which  Jesus  seeks  to  woo  Simon  Peter  back  to 
intimate  fellowship  after  his  sin  of  denying  his  Lord,  and  asks 
him  three  times,  'Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me?'3 

1  The  Standard,  of  Chicago,  of  October  31,  1896. 

3  Mrs.  (Susan  C.)  Colver  died  in  Chicago  on  September  12,  1889,  of 
intestinal  disease. 

J  John  21:15-17. 


194         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Mr.  Colver  called  attention  to  the  exact  words  used  for  '  love '  in 
this  passage,  and  gave  the  different  shades  of  meaning,  bringing 
out  the  beautiful  tenderness  of  the  Savior  in  assuring  Peter  of 
his  complete  forgiveness  and  restoration  as  a  beloved  disciple. 
I  wish  that  I  were  able  to  reproduce  his  teaching  of  this  passage; 
but  I  cannot  do  it.  His  talk  was  like  an  inspiration.  I  do  not 
suppose  that  he  could  have  duplicated  it  in  writing." 

Dr.  Cyrus  F.  Tolman,  of  Chicago,  who  was  for  more  than 
a  third  of  a  century  district  secretary  of  the  American  Baptist 
Missionary  Union,  as  the  foreign-mission  society  was  then  called, 
said  that  "Mr.  Colver  was  distinguished  for  his  great  and  accu- 
rate scholarship.  He  was  an  authority  as  a  scholar.  He  was 
very  critical  in  his  investigations,  looking  on  both  sides,  and 
balancing  evidences,  so  that  what  he  said  was  final,  or  as  nearly 
so  as  it  could  well  be.  There  was  no  question  about  his  scholar- 
ship. He  was  also  extremely  conscientious  about  everything. 
Besides,  he  was  a  man  of  faith  and  of  prayer." 

That  Mr.  Colver  had  as  many  pastorates  as  he  did  was, 
under  all  of  the  circumstances,  a  great  deal  better  for  the  amount 
of  good  that  he  could  do  than  if  he  had  spent  his  life  with  one 
or  two  churches.  An  evangelist,  as  a  rule,  accomplishes  the 
most  when  he  does  not  tarry  too  long  in  one  place.  Mr.  Colver 
was  not  an  evangelist,  in  the  sense  of  being  a  revivalist,  but  in 
some  respects  quite  the  opposite.  He  would  not  try,  nor  wish, 
to  get  people  to  join  the  church  by  special  persuasion,  or  by  any 
oratorical  or  psychological  artifice.  He  wanted  them  to  come 
through  conviction  or  manifest  "conversion"  and  a  "new 
birth."  He  was  very  much  like  one  of  the  old  prophets,  who 
had  his  message  to  deliver  and  delivered  it  without  regard  to 
whether  it  was  wanted,  or  how  it  would  be  received.  His 
ministry  was  of  an  intensely  earnest,  scriptural  character,  with 
deep  doctrinal  teaching,  not  designed  to  be  popular,  nor  to  build 
up  a  church  very  fast  in  numbers,  but  rather  to  educate,  develop, 
strengthen,  and  guide.  For  such  a  one,  and  for  such  preaching, 


LATER  LIFE  AND  SUMMARY  195 

it  was  clearly  a  gain  that  his  pastorates  were  moderately  short 
and  numerous,  to  enable  him  to  accomplish  the  most  possible. 
At  most  of  the  places  where  he  was  a  pastor,  Mr.  Colver  could 
not,  by  remaining  longer,  have  done  much  more  than  he  did 
except  to  have  added  in  kind  to  it,  and  it  was  better  that 
he  should  go  to  new  fields.  He  quickly  made  a  strong  and 
indelible  impression  on  a  church  and  those  whom  he  would  be 
likely  to  be  able  to  help,  and  he  could  extend  this  best  by  going 
to  new  places  every  few  years,  following  in  that  respect  some- 
what the  method  of  the  evangelist,  although  his  mission  was  a 
different  one. 

The  simple  life  which  he  led,  partly  from  expediency,  but 
much  more  from  the  conviction  that  it  was  the  right  kind  of 
one,  not  only  went  far  toward  enabling  him  to  maintain  his 
independence  of  thought  and  to  stand  out  for  what  he  deemed 
right,  but  it  also  made  it  possible  for  him  to  go  to  some  of 
the  struggling  churches  which  sorely  needed  him,  and  to 
remain  with  them  as  long  as  he  did,  as  he  could  not  have  done 
if  his  requirements  had  been  greater.  He  learned  early  the 
difference  between  the  essentials  and  the  nonessentials,  and  he 
wasted  little  time  on  the  latter.  He  never  received  a  large 
salary,  and  not  many  years  even  a  fair  one.  Still,  with  the  aid 
of  his  garden  and  doing  for  himself  the  things  that  he  could  do, 
and  doing  without  many  things  that  he  did  not  feel  that  he 
needed  but  which  others  deemed  necessaries,  he  managed  not 
only  to  live  on  his  income,  but  in  the  course  of  his  lifetime  to 
save  enough  so  that,  with  conservative  investment  and  continu- 
ing the  same  principles  of  living,  he  was  financially  as  well  as 
intellectually  independent  and  was  able  to  live  through  his  last 
years  without  any  salary  and  without  having  to  appeal  to  any 
one  for  assistance. 

Neither  was  he  hi  the  least  covetous,  nor  parsimonious;  but 
on  the  contrary,  he  was  in  his  way  generous  and  indifferent  about 
money  matters  almost  to  a  fault.  He  was  indeed  extremely 


196         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

cautious  about  the  objects  to  which  he  gave  aid,  and  he  declined 
to  give  to  many  causes  generally  favored  by  others.  But  what 
he  had  to  give  was  limited  in  amount,  and  when  he  did  give  he 
generally  did  it  in  such  a  way  that  few  or  none  besides  himself 
knew  of  it.  In  addition  he  was  strongly  averse  to  making  prom- 
ises for  future  fulfilment,  not  knowing  what  a  day  might  bring 
forth.  So  if  he  could  not  pay  at  once,  he  would  wait  until  he 
could  before  he  made  any  bargain  or  arranged  for  any  con- 
tribution; otherwise  he  paid  at  once  what  he  could  and 
wished  to  pay.  In  direct  line  with  this  fact  Dr.  Thomas  W. 
Goodspeed  has  brought  to  light  that,  as  he  says,  "to  the 
Rev.  Charles  Kendrick  Colver  belongs  the  distinction  of  having 
made  the  first  cash  contribution  for  the  founding  of  the  new  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago.  The  amount  was  $100.  There  were  earlier 
subscriptions,  but  the  first  actual  cash  received  came  from 
Charles  K.  Colver."1 

Mr.  Colver  did  not  live  for  himself;  and  he  sought  neither 
personal  pleasure  nor  material  profit.  His  was  the  life  of  a  man 
of  fine  natural  ability  and  sensitiveness,  thoroughly  educated, 
who  subordinated  self  and  all  natural  ambitions  to  live  according 
to  his  conscience  and  the  will  of  God,  as  he  perceived  it,  and  he 
succeeded  therein  to  an  unusual  degree.  Thus,  there  was  the 
self-renunciation  of  a  strong  man,  who  did  not  try  to  flee  from 
any  of  the  duties  and  trials  of  life,  but  faced  them  calmly,  and 
endeavored  to  live  humbly,  and  humbly  to  meet  and  to  bear 
the  will  of  God.  Beyond  that,  he  lived  to  do  what  good  he 
could  in  the  world  in  the  way  in  which  he  felt  he  was  called 
upon  to  act.  This  in  its  application  included  his  family,  to 
which  he  was  always  faithful.  In  his  home  life,  he  was  vir- 
tually the  same  man  that  he  was  everywhere  else.  He  was 
devout,  quiet,  self-possessed,  considerate,  and  cheerful.  He  was 
devoted  and  tender  in  the  care  of  his  wife,  and  ever  ready  to 
render  any  helpful  service  needed,  but  doing  it  all  so  naturally 

1  University  Record  (New  Series),  V  (1919),  75. 


LATER  LIFE  AND  SUMMARY  197 

that  it  was  hardly  noticeable.  The  training  and  education  of 
his  daughter  was  also  of  the  greatest  moment  to  him,  and  formed 
a  part  of  his  daily  life  until  after  she  had  gone  through  the 
University  and  had  entered  upon  her  life-work. 

For  superficial  social  conventionalities  he  had  little  respect. 
He  wanted  something  more  than  a  factitious  veneering.  He 
wanted  kindliness  of  word  and  action  bred  of  the  heart.  He 
himself  was  a  gentleman  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word,  and  in 
spirit — the  spirit  of  the  Master.  He  was  always  considerate  of 
others  according  to  the  occasion,  and  shaped  his  conduct  toward 
them  by  the  Golden  Rule,  kindness  of  heart,  and  thoughtfulness 
rather  than  by  rehearsing  platitudes  and  following  set  forms. 

He  had  a  fine  sense  of  humor,  but  he  was  very  cautious  about 
giving  it  expression. 

The  Old  Testament  in  Hebrew  and  the  New  Testament  in 
Greek  furnished  him  with  his  principal  subjects  for  study  in  his 
later  years,  as  they  did  before.  He  was  still  just  as  anxious  as 
ever  to  get  at  the  original  and  true  meanings.  He  even  attended 
one  of  Dr.  Harper's  summer  classes  in  Hebrew  in  order  to  get  new 
suggestions.  He  also  retained  a  reasonable  interest  in  every- 
thing that  a  scholar  and  a  citizen  should.  One  year  he  attended 
the  Baptist  Anniversaries  in  Philadelphia,  and  at  another  time 
in  Denver,  Colorado.  Near  the  close  of  his  life,  he  visited  the 
Holy  Land,  but  some  have  thought  that  it  may  have  been  too 
hard  a  trip  for  him,  and  have  hastened  the  end.  The  details  of 
the  trip,  and  how  it  impressed  him,  and  what  he  got  from  it  as 
a  biblical  scholar,  have,  unfortunately,  like  the  details  of  his 
voyage  to  South  America,  not  been  recorded  nor  in  any  other 
way  preserved. 

Charles  Kendrick  Colver  entered  into  the  reward  of  his  life 
and  labors  on  October  28,  1896* 

1  Mr.  Colver  died  of  nephritis  at  the  Baptist  Hospital  which  was  then 
maintained  in  Chicago  in  the  original  building  of  the  Baptist  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary.  The  attendants  in  the  hospital  spoke  of  his  exceptional 


198         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

His  life  was  certainly  an  unusual  one.  It  was  particularly 
remarkable  for  its  biblical  character  and  the  fidelity  with  which, 
humanly  speaking,  it  followed,  in  letter  and  in  spirit,  with  great 
persistency  and  consistency  for  more  than  threescore  years  the 
teachings  of  the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments,  as  orthodoxly 
interpreted  in  his  day.  It  was  also  a  useful  life,  encouraging 
and  helpful  in  numerous  ways  to  many  individuals,  and  impart- 
ing moral,  spiritual,  and  doctrinal  strength  to  a  considerable 
number  of  churches.  Looked  at  from  the  viewpoint  of  eternity, 
in  the  light  of  which  it  was  lived,  it  was  clearly  a  successful  life, 
in  the  best  sense  of  the  term.  Its  immediate  compensation  and 
happiness  were  found  chiefly  in  the  consciousness  of  right  pur- 
poses and  attempted  right  doing,  as  well  as  in  being  as  close 
as  it  was  in  harmony  with  what  was  understood  to  be  the  divine 
will,  and  with  nature.  Good  should  still  long  continue  to  come, 
in  one  way  or  another,  from  its  strict  adherence  to  principle 
and  devotion  to  duty. 

and  especially  uncomplaining  character,  manifested  even  when,  from  other 
causes  than  the  disease  for  which  he  was  there,  he  must  have  suffered 
excruciating  pain,  as  probably  he  had  suffered  it  more  or  less  for  a  long 
time  before  without  ever  having  given  any  intimation  of  it.  The  funeral 
services,  by  request  of  the  pastor,  were  held  in  the  First  Baptist  Church. 
Dr.  P.  S.  Henson,  the  pastor  of  the  church,  preached  the  sermon,  some  of 
the  main  points  of  which  have  already  been  mentioned.  The  deacons  of 
the  church  were  the  pallbearers. 


CHAPTER  VI 
SCRIPTURAL  MEDITATIONS 

Mr.  Colver  was  very  methodical  and  painstaking  in  every- 
thing that  he  did;  and  he  was  particularly  careful  about  every 
word  that  he  spoke  or  wrote,  for  he  took  deeply  to  heart  the 
admonitions  of  the  Bible  with  regard  to  using  wisdom  and 
caution  in  speech.  Even  his  handwriting,  which  was  light,  neat, 
and  easily  read,  showed  deliberation  and  distinctiveness.  But  no 
manuscripts  of  his  of  any  sort,  original  memoranda  of  thought, 
written  sermons,  or  even  letters  have  been  preserved.  Nor  did 
he  concern  himself  in  any  way  with  authorship.  Fortunately, 
however,  he  was  induced  to  write,  between  October,  1890, 
and  July,  1892,  some  short  articles  and  paragraphs  for  the  Bul- 
letin of  the  First  Baptist  Church  and  Sunday  School,  of  Chicago ; 
and  this  chapter  will  be  devoted  to  a  reproduction  of  most  of 
them.  Many  of  them  were  undoubtedly  suggested  by  some- 
thing in  the  Sunday-school  lessons,  prayer-meeting  topics,  or 
other  subjects  being  considered  at  the  time.  They  show  clearly 
a  desire  to  stimulate  and  direct  thought,  as  well  as  to  encourage 
an  independent  study  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  making  of  them 
the  guide,  rather  than  any  disposition  on  the  writer's  part  to 
impose  on  other  persons  any  particular  conclusions  of  his  own. 
Furthermore,  the  most  of  these  articles  are  more  in  the  nature 
of  short  meditations  than  anything  else,  some  of  them  being 
almost  medieval  in  character,  and  almost  all  of  them  without 
any  purpose  of  expressing  finality,  except  perhaps  on  a  few  of 
the  many  points  presented  for  consideration.  They  should 
have  an  increased  value  now,  both  for  those  who  delight  in 
meditations  on  the  Word  and  find  too  few  of  them  in  this 

199 


200          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

hurrying  age,  and  for  those  who  are  desirous  of  comparing  the 
religious  thought  of  different  generations. 

MEDITATIONS 

Go  forward. — What  way  is  forward  ?  As  to  a  better  dis- 
charge of  duty  ?  How  can  I  know  what  is  duty  ?  I  am  to  be 
led  by  the  Spirit.  How  shall  I  know  His  leadings?  I  am 
inclined  to  do  this  or  that.  Does  the  Spirit  incline  me?  A 
suggestion  comes  to  my  thoughts;  an  impulse  moves  me.  If  it 
is  from  the  Lord's  Spirit,  I  would  obey.  How  can  I  know  ? 

Family  religion. — Does  this  mean  personal  religion  in  the 
family?  Noah  had  some  special  prerogative.  "Come  thou 
and  all  thy  house."1  Lydia  had  a  household.2  Cornelius  had 
much  to  do  for  the  salvation  of  his  house.3  If  sprinkling,  or 
some  administration  of  some  religious  ceremony  would  save 
one's  house,  the  saving  would  be  easy.  If  controlling  the 
actions  and  the  habits  of  children  could  save  them,  then  parents 
might  know  their  relation  to  family  religion.  What  can  any 
member  of  the  family  do  for  the  other  members  of  it  ?  Religious 
behavior  in  the  family — is  this  family  religion  ? 

Lewticus  19:33-34- — Be  kind  to  the  stranger.  So  teaches 
the  Old  Testament;  so  also  the  New  Testament.  The  religion 
of  the  Bible  is  kind.  Kindness  should  be  expressed. 

RESOLUTIONS 

The  new  year  was  the  occasion  of  review  and  anticipation 
touching  personal  attainments  in  piety.  Resolutions  were 
formed  with  earnest  intentions.  Does  that  earnestness  prove 
effective  ?  Does  the  first  week  of  effort4  encourage  the  hope  of 
success  through  the  year?  If  in  any  particular  thus  far  the 
endeavor  has  failed  in  its  intent,  it  may  be  wise  to  review  again 
and  reinforce  the  right  purpose.  If  the  purpose  shaped  itself 

1  Gen.  7:1.  3  Acts  10:22. 

3  Acts  16: 15.  *  This  was  published  on  January  9,  1892, 


SCRIPTURAL  MEDITATIONS  201 

into  a  vow  or  any  sort  of  promise,  of  course  the  thing  promised 
must  be  done.1 

If  the  promise  must  fail  of  fulfilment,  of  course  there  should 
be  repentance  both  for  failure  in  the  duty  promised  and  for  the 
falsehood  involved.  The  falsehood  must  not  be  repeated.  The 
vow  is  not  to  be  rashly  made  again.  A  firm  purpose  may,  how- 
ever, take  its  place.  If  the  resolution  was  only  a  definite 
intention  earnestly  cherished,  then  a  partial  disappointment  or 
a  painful  failure  may  serve  to  arouse  latent  energies  and  insure 
better  results  by  renewed  efforts. 

If  the  beginnings  of  failure  and  even  the  indications  which 
threaten  failure,  are  promptly  noticed  and  provided  for,  the 
hope  of  this  new  year  may  even  yet  be  fulfilled. 

IDLE   WORDS2 

Every  utterance  that  is  of  no  account  must  be  accounted 
for.  What  talk  is  idle  ?  What  talk  is  valuable  ?  What  talk  is 
helpful  ?  What  talk  offers  good  to  the  talker  ?  To  the  listener  ? 
How  much  value  is  necessary  to  make  the  talk  other  than  idle  ? 
Must  its  value  be  estimated  by  its  bearing  upon  some  particu- 
lar interest? 

Some  words  seemingly  of  light  weight  may  subserve  helpful 
uses.  "  Good  morning,"  may  not  be  always  an  intended  prayer, 
but  it  develops  friendship.  "This  is  a  pleasant  day,"  is  not 
uttered  to  convey  information,  but  it  may  develop  gratitude  to 
God,  or  it  may  at  least  offer  and  invite  mutual  oneness  of 
thought,  human  fellowship.  The  same  may  be  claimed  for 
certain  sportive  utterances,  such  as  contribute  to  elasticity  of 

1  "When  thou  vowest  a  vow  unto  God,  defer  not  to  pay  it;   for  he 
hath  no  pleasure  in  fools:   pay  that  which  thou  hast  vowed.     Better  is  it 
that  thou  shouldest  not  vow,  than  that  thou  shouldest  vow  and  not  pay." — 
Eccles.  5:4-5- 

2  "  Every  idle  word  that  men  shall  speak,  they  shall  give  account  thereof 
in  the  day  of  judgment." — Matt.  12:36. 


202          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

spirit.  If  musical  tones  may  affect  mental  states  helpfully,  so 
may  words  spoken  irrespective  of  their  definite  meaning. 

Words  are  signs  of  ideas.  They  intimate  the  ideas  of  him 
who  utters  them.  They  appeal  to  ideas  in  him  who  interprets 
them.  They  facilitate  interchange  of  thought.  Even  if  they 
mean  little  to  him  who  speaks,  they  may  enrich  him  who  hears. 

If  one  speaks  only  to  himself  his  words  may  serve  as  a 
rehearsal  helpful  or  otherwise  to  himself,  acceptable  or  other- 
wise to  his  God;  and,  indirectly,  valuable  or  otherwise  to  his 
fellows. 

Is  it  possible  that  speech  may  pervert,  counterbalance,  or 
annul  its  own  value?  May  speech  be  wicked?  malicious? 
harmful  by  indiscretion  ?  frivolous  ?  an  objectionable  substitute 
for  words  that  ought  to  be  spoken  ?  May  speech  be  faulty  in 
a  negative  way  ?  failing  to  be  of  requisite  value  ?  In  whatever 
way  faulty  it  cannot  escape  judgment. 

Speech  is  an  index  of  character.  What  I  say  shows  what 
I  am.  Judgment  of  my  words  is  judgment  of  myself. 

Will  silence  avoid  this  judgment  ?  Taciturnity  may  be  no 
virtue.  Folly  unuttered  may  be  folly  still.  If  sound  speech  is 
due,  the  debt  will  not  be  paid  by  silence. 

Let  me  remember,  then,  that  my  tongue  is  responsible  to 
God  always.  The  responsibility  of  speech  can  never  be  evaded. 
No  use  of  speech  can  be  too  insignificant  to  be  judged.  I  must 
meet  all  my  words  in  judgment. 

SOCIAL  RESPONSIBILITY 

"Woe  unto  him  that  giveth  his  neighbor  drink."1  Is  it  a 
sin  to  drink  ?  That  is  the  drinker's  sin.  Is  it  a  sin  to  induce 
a  man  to  sin  ?  That  is  the  tempter's  sin,  making  the  drinker's 
sin  his  own  sin  also.  The  guilt  of  the  tempted  is  complete  in 
itself,  undiminished  by  any  aggravation  of  the  tempter's  guilt. 
Aggravation?  Alas!  aggravation  is  possible,  to  an  extent  that 

'Hab.  2:15. 


SCRIPTURAL  MEDITATIONS  203 

is  inconceivable,  and  in  ways  innumerable.  "  Wherefore  lift  up 
the  hands  which  hang  down,  and  the  feeble  knees;  And  make 
straight  paths  for  your  feet."1 

WILL  AND   INFLUENCE 

When  Jehoiakim  defied  the  Almighty  and  wronged  men,2 
he  acted  out  himself.  Being  left  to  himself,  he  cut  and  burned 
the  hated  message.  Could  the  blame  be  referred  to  any  other 
person  than  himself  ?  Could  his  guilt  find  any  apology  in  his 
freedom  from  restraint  ?  If  God  does  not  prevent  a  man  from 
choosing  evil  and  doing  evil,  is  the  evil-doer  any  less  responsible  ? 
Any  less  blameworthy  ? 

What  bearing  has  influence  upon  responsibility?  Was 
Judas  Iscariot  any  less  responsible  because  Satan  entered  into 
him  ?  Was  his  guilty  action  any  the  less  his  own  ?  The  devil 
having  already  put  it  into  the  heart  of  Judas  to  betray  Jesus, 
did  Satan's  influence  lessen  the  freedom  of  Judas's  will  ?  Judas 
was  Judas  all  the  time. 

When  the  Lord  opened  the  heart  of  Lydia  to  attend  to  the 
things  spoken  by  Paul,3  was  her  responsibility  thereby  dimin- 
ished? Was  the  dignity  of  the  human  will  dishonored?  She 
herself  gave  heed. 

When  the  Lord  writes  his  law  on  a  man's  heart,  is  the  man 
any  less  responsible  ?  If  the  issue  of  that  heart  is  a  good  choice, 
a  righteous  character,  is  not  that  character  the  man's  own? 
Is  his  will  any  less  free  ? 

Choice  is  always  determined  by  considerations.  Will  is 
always  governed  by  motives.  It  is  never  free  from  such  control, 
even  in  weighing  considerations.  It  is  never  free  from  respon- 
sibility. The  boasted  freedom  of  the  will  is  a  fallacy.  In  what- 
ever sense  true  freedom  of  the  will  may  be  affirmed,  responsibility 
always  attends  human  choice  and  conduct. 

1  Heb.  12 : 12-13.  3  Jer*  3^:  23.  3  Acts  16:14. 


204  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

WICKED  DOERS   OF  RIGHT 

"Shall  the  ax  boast  against  him  that  heweth  therewith  ?  or 
shall  the  saw  magnify  itself  against  him  that  shake th  it  ?"J 

Jehu  is  commended  in  II  Kings  10:30,  as  having  done  well 
in  executing  that  which  is  right  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  in  refer- 
ence to  the  house  of  Ahab,  for  which  service  he  had  been  divinely 
appointed  and  anointed.2  Nevertheless  he  took  no  heed  to 
walk  in  the  law  of  the  Lord.3 

Jeroboam,  the  son  of  Nebat,  the  model  sinner  in  Israel's 
apostasy,  was  called  to  his  kingship  by  divine  encouragement,4 
and  confirmed  against  Judah  by  the  Lord's  assurance,  "this 
thing  is  of  me."5  Righteousness  was  enjoined  upon  him,6  but 
he  was  a  very  unrighteous  doer  of  the  one  right  deed,  namely, 
the  rending  of  the  ten  tribes  from  Rehoboam's  kingdom. 

The  lying  spirit  in  the  mouth  of  Ahab's  prophets7  found 
satisfactory  employment  in  leading  Ahab  to  his  death,  executing 
however  wickedly  the  decree  of  divine  justice  against  the  wicked 
king.  So  might  a  python  be  let  loose  against  a  threatening  tiger. 

The  king  of  Assyria  is  more  than  willing  to  act  as  a  rod  of 
anger  against  Israel,  not  from  loyalty  to  Jehovah,  but  for  pur- 
poses of  his  own.  It  is  in  his  heart  to  destroy  and  to  cut  off 
nations  not  a  few.  "Wherefore  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  when 
the  Lord  hath  performed  his  whole  work  upon  mount  Zion  and 
on  Jerusalem,  I  will  punish  the  fruit  of  the  stout  heart  of  the 
king  of  Assyria."8  His  very  wickedness  is  wielded  as  a  rod,  and 
is  itself  punished  afterward. 

If  by  the  word  of  the  Lord  severe  smiting  must  be  inflicted 
upon  an  unoffending  prophet,  a  friend  shrinks  from  the  service.9 
When  by  the  determinate  counsel  and  foreknowledge  of  God, 

1  Isa.  10: 15;  cf.  vss.  5-14. 

2 II  Kings  9:1-10.  6 1  Kings  1 1 : 38. 

all  Kings  10:31.  7 1  Kings  22:19-23. 

*  I  Kings  11:29-39.  8Isa.  10:12. 

s  I  Kings  12 : 24  (R.V.).  » I  Kings  20: 35. 


SCRIPTURAL  MEDITATIONS  205 

Jesus  must  be  delivered  up,1  no  friend  such  as  John  or  Peter  is 
required  to  do  the  smiting.  A  Judas  is  found.  Blind  passion 
and  unbelief  are  not  reluctant.  Roman  soldiers  are  ready  to 
do  they  know  not  what. 

There  is  no  power  but  of  God.  Satan  himself  can  do  nothing 
of  himself.  He  is  a  creature  under  control.  His  energies  can 
be  turned  to  good  account  with  no  credit  to  him.  God  worketh 
after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will.2  If  only  righteous  agencies 
could  be  employed  by  him,  what  use  could  be  made  of  any 
human  agency  ? 

All  forces  are  subject  not  only  to  his  control,  but  to  his  use. 
Moral  evil  is  none  the  less  evil  because  restrained;  none  the  less 
evil  because  compelled  to  subserve  some  good  purpose.  The 
responsibility  of  moral  evil  remains  with  the  sinful  impulse, 
whatever  any  other  being  may  do  about  it. 

If  God  in  his  providence  allows  the  evil  in  a  man's  heart  to 
be  stirred  up,  or  causes  it  to  be  stirred  up,  the  stirring  up  does  not 
sanction  it,  nor  extenuate  it,  nor  lighten  the  responsibility  of  it. 

In  every  act  of  every  man,  that  which  is  right  God  will 
recognize  as  right.  That  which  is  wrong  God  will  disapprove, 
whatever  direction  he  may  give  to  the  man's  energies — whatever 
purpose  he  may  cause  that  wrong  thing  to  accomplish.  The 
responsibility  of  the  wrong  will  be  kept  where  it  belongs. 

However  mixed  and  confused  and  varied  may  be  the  agen- 
cies in  the  events  of  divine  Providence,  one  may  be  sure  that  the 
Judge  of  all  the  earth  will  do  only  right. 

TEMPTATION   IS   FROM  WITHIN 

"Each  man  is  tempted  by  his  own  lust,  being  drawn  away 
by  it,  and  enticed."3  Opportunity  may  develop  character;  but 
opportunity  does  not  make  character.  Inducements  to  evil 
may  detect  an  unsuspected  inclination  to  evil.  The  induce- 
ments do  not  originate  the  disposition,  however  much  they  may 

1  Acts  2:23.  3  Eph.  1:11.  3  jas.  1:14  (R,V,m.). 


206          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

contribute  to  its  development.    The  heart  itself  is  the  spring 
of  all  its  wickedness.    The  sinner  is  responsible  for  his  own  sin. 

YOUR   SIN  WILL  FIND  YOU   OUT 

A  spider  brushed  off  from  your  table  is  likely  to  be  found  on 
the  same  spot  soon  after.  The  web  spun  so  suddenly  may  be 
unseen  but  the  clue  is  sure.  Your  sin  never  loses  its  connection 
with  you.  Its  trail  is  certain.  It  will  find  you.  Counterfeit 
money  is  likely  to  be  traced  to  the  person  who  passed  it  pur- 
posely. The  responsibility  of  a  sin  can  never  miss.  Jehovah 
traces  it  with  certainty. 

There  is  a  dog  whose  master  cannot,  by  effort,  lose  him. 
Through  crossing  trails,  through  ways  confused,  distant,  pur- 
posely obscured,  he  will  find  his  way  back.  Your  sin  cannot  be 
separated  from  you.  Other  persons  may  share  your  guilt,  but 
your  guilt  will  stick  to  you.  You  may  blame  your  neighbor; 
but  your  own  blame  you  cannot  give  away. 

Divine  retribution  makes  no  mistakes.  "Be  sure  your  sin 
will  find  you  out."1 

FOR  WHAT  HE  IS 

"As  he  reckoneth  within  himself,  so  is  he."2 

Words  and  deeds  are  not  always  a  true  index  of  character. 
They  may  be  commendable  or  otherwise,  while  the  person 
speaking  or  doing  may  be  the  reverse. 

For  what  he  is  a  man  is  responsible  no  less  than  for  what  he 
does.  A  perverse  moral  nature  is  blameworthy.  It  may  be 
disguised,  it  may  be  dormant,  it  may  be  unknown  to  one's 
consciousness,  but  it  is  blameworthy  still.  Omniscience  detects 
it.  Perfect  holiness  abhors  it. 

The  fruit  of  the  stout  heart  of  the  king  of  Assyria  must  be 
punished,  though  the  deeds  done  by  his  perverse  disposition 
were  approved.3  Jehu  was  praised  and  rewarded  for  executing 

'Num.  32:23. 

3  Prov.  23:7;  cf.  R.V.m.,  "as  one  that  reckoneth  within  himself." 

3  Isa.  10:12. 


SCRIPTURAL  MEDITATIONS  207 

zealously  his  commission  against  the  house  of  Ahab,  but  his  zeal 
for  Jehovah  was  not  above  asking,  "Who  is  on  my  side?"1 
The  law  of  Jehovah  he  followed  not  with  all  his  heart.  He  did 
certain  things  that  were  commanded,  but  he  was  not  loyal.2  He 
was  commended  for  what  he  did,  and  condemned  for  what 
he  was. 

"Marvel  not  that  I  said  unto  thee,  Ye  must  be  born  from 
above."3 

A  SUFFICIENT  MOTIVE 

"The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us."< 

Does  this  mean  that  our  appreciation  of  the  generous  com- 
passion which  moved  our  Redeemer  constrains  us  to  respond 
with  gratitude  and  to  carry  forward  his  generous  work  ?  Does 
it  mean  that  his  love  is  reproduced  in  us,  a  divine  affection  in 
human  hearts?  Does  it  mean  that  our  love  to  him  compels 
us  to  crave  any  service  that  will  further  his  plans  or  please  him  ? 

However  interpreted,  is  the  love  of  Christ  a  sufficient 
motive  ?  Of  course  it  is  sufficient  to  determine  obligation,  to 
make  service  a  duty.  Is  it  sufficient  to  make  duty  welcome? 
Is  it  sufficient  to  insure  content  in  service  ?  Is  it  sufficient  to 
sustain  cheerful  perseverance,  the  greatest  efficiency,  even 
passionate  devotion  ?  It  ought  to  be.  Is  it  ? 

This  motive  touches  all  other  motives.  Under  temptations 
from  within  and  from  without,  under  encouragements  or  dis- 
couragements, the  love  of  Christ  holds  the  heart  steady  in  its 
courage.  If  duty  is  known  and  opportunity  manifest,  the 
service  of  love  is  a  joy. 

What  is  my  testimony  in  the  social  religious  meeting,  does 
or  does  it  not  bring  to  me  a  sympathetic  response  ?  Do  I  know 
that  the  testimony  was  right  and  timely,  and  constrained  by 
love  ?  Let  the  loving  service  be  its  sufficient  reward. 

1 II  Kings  9:32.  a  John  3:7  (R.V.m.). 

2  II  Kings  10:31.  *  II  Cor.  5:14. 


208         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Sunday-school  work,  mission  work,  various  kinds  of  Chris- 
tian work,  a  hireling  might  not  covet.  Yet  the  worker  needs  no 
more  effective  inducement  than  the  indulgence  offered  by  it  to 
the  exercise  of  Christian  kindness.  That  kindness  will  not 
indeed  claim  credit  as  a  martyr-like  endurance  for  benevolent 
purposes.  It  must  be  real,  generous,  delighting  in  its  oppor- 
tunities. 

For  the  various  exigencies  of  Christian  service  such  a  motive 
is  essential.  If  it  exists  it  will  be  found  sufficient. 

UNSELFISH 

"It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive."1 

Is  that  a  motive  ?  Let  not  the  motive  defeat  its  aim.  To 
be  induced  to  give  by  the  consideration  that  the  greater  blessed- 
ness will  be  experienced  by  the  giver  may  detract  from  the 
generosity  of  the  giving,  from  the  very  blessedness  desired. 

Christianity  gives;  its  joy  is  in  the  giving,  its  love  is 
generous.  Heat  radiates;  so  does  Christian  kindness.  The 
impulse  is  outward.  Its  exercise  is  its  joy. 

Kindness  may  win  appreciation,  gratitude,  responsive  kind- 
ness. Such  response  may  be  due,  may  of  right  be  demanded, 
may  be  desired,  may  be  missed.  What  then  ?  Love  may  still 
love,  and  all  the  more  purely.  At  low  tide,  the  mountain 
stream  gives  its  sweetness  undiminished  to  the  sea. 

Let  me  then  engage  in  Christian  service  of  whatever  sort, 
by  the  impulse  of  unselfish  generosity.  Let  all  questions  con- 
cerning, re  turns  and  rewards  be  held  in  abeyance  if  not  wholly 
dismissed  from  my  thoughts  or  from  my  list  of  motives.  The 
Master  will  take  care  of  them.  Let  my  work  be  a  labor  of  love. 

ALL  IS  THE  LORD'S  ALREADY 

The  holder  of  millions  is  only  a  steward  in  care  of  millions. 
The  holder  of  two  mites  is  a  steward  in  care  of  two  mites. 

1  Acts  20:35. 


SCRIPTURAL  MEDITATIONS  209 

In  what  sense  can  a  steward  give  to  his  Lord  that  which  is 
his  Lord's  already  ? 

"Ye  are  not  your  own.  For  ye  are  bought  with  a  price: 
therefore  glorify  God  in  your  body,  and  in  your  spirit,  which 
are  God's."1 

Am  I  then  my  Lord's  steward  in  charge  of  myself  as  well  as 
of  my  possessions?  What  shall  I  think  then  of  tithes?  of 
gifts  ?  of  service  ?  Can  I  then  be  anything  more  than  a  willing 
payer  of  debts  ? 

THE   LORD'S   TREASURY 

When  at  a  recent  Wednesday  evening  prayer  meeting  the 
"Widow's  Mites"  were  considered,  there  was  one  present  in 
whose  mind  the  following  questions  were  suggested,  which 
should  be  weighed  well  by  all,  not  to  furnish  an  excuse  for  with- 
holding that  which  should  go  into  the  contribution  basket,  etc., 
but  in  order  to  do  justice,  and  particularly  in  the  matter  of 
judging  others. 

What  is  the  Lord's  treasury?  The  contribution  basket? 
The  fund  for  church  expenses  ?  The  fund  for  missions  ?  The 
fund  for  benefactions  to  the  poor  ? 

Has  a  mother  only  two  mites — all  her  living  ?  Has  she  in 
her  own  family  two  little  feet  needing  shoes  ?  Is  it  more  pious 
to  put  the  two  mites  into  some  contribution  basket  for  unknown 
recipients  than  to  care  for  persons  in  her  own  family  ? 

If  she  uses  the  mites  judiciously  in  providing  for  real  wants 
of  persons  who  have  a  claim  upon  her,  or  even  for  her  own 
personal  needs,  may  it  be  true  that  she  has  none  the  less  cast 
the  mites  into  the  Lord's  treasury  ? 

THE   SABBATH 

A  seventh  day  is  in  the  Scriptures  enjoined  upon  men  to  be 
observed  by  them  as  hallowed,  set  apart,  distinguished  from 
other  days,  sacred  as  a  day  of  rest. 

1 1  Cor.  6: 19-20. 


210          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

The  rest  required  is  not  idleness,  inactivity,  sleep.  The 
activity  of  drudgery,  the  toil  of  bondage,  the  service  of  servants, 
the  burden  of  ordinary  work,  such  as  taxes  man's  energies 
through  the  six  common  days,  is  to  cease.  The  seventh  day 
is  to  be  used  as  God's  own,  hi  such  quiet  or  in  such  activity  as 
the  worship  of  God  and  the  service  of  God  may  require. 

The  industries  proper  in  the  six  days  are  under  divine  law. 
They  are  enjoined  as  duty.  They  are  in  some  sense  service  to 
God.  The  uses  of  the  seventh  day  are  exclusively  religious. 
Its  rest  is  holy  rest.  Its  activities  are  holy  activities — all  for 
God  in  a  specific,  exclusive  sense. 

The  Sabbath's  duties  are  designed  to  be  privileges.  Its  rest 
is  a  freedom;  its  service  a  joy.  Gratitude  is  a  duty,  yet  thanks- 
giving is  the  glad  overflow  of  conscious  joy.  Who  values  a 
commercial  kiss?  A  love  token  which  betokens  no  love?  A 
service  that  is  irksome,  a  task  reluctantly  performed,  is  not  duty 
done.  The  Sabbath  lets  up  the  burdened  toiler,  inviting  and 
enjoining  the  freest  play  of  man's  best  impulses. 

PRAYER 

Prayer  asks  God  to  do  something.  If  in  using  words  of 
prayer  I  am  really  trying  to  move  the  persons  who  are  listening, 
as  if  to  stir  them  up  by  words  not  addressed  to  them,  but 
intended  to  be  heard  by  them  and  to  influence  them  by  being 
heard,  I  may  well  pause  and  consider  whether  this  is  really 
prayer  to  God.  If  it  is  in  reality  an  appeal  to  men,  would  not  a 
direct  address  to  them  be  more  consistent  with  honesty  and  with 
the  proper  offering  of  real  prayer  ? 

There  is  a  difference  between  praying  at  people  and  praying 
for  people.  Real  prayer,  however,  is  more  than  an  indirect 
expression  of  a  wish. 

If  I  say,  may  we  be  this  or  that,  may  we  do  this  or  that,  or 
may  this  person  turn  from  evil  to  good,  my  prayer  is  a  request 
that  God  will  cause  the  being  or  the  doing.  When  my  prayer 


SCRIPTURAL  MEDITATIONS  211 

craves  a  revival  of  religion  or  success  in  teaching,  or  in  any 
religious  effort  involving  my  own  activity,  or  involving  the 
activities  and  responsibilities  of  persons  for  whom  the  prayer 
is  offered,  what  is  it  that  I  am  asking  the  Lord  to  do  ? 

My  request  may  be  for  increased  efficiency  of  the  means 
used,  or  it  may  be  for  some  work  of  God  himself,  other  than 
making  means  efficient. 

Jesus  was  a  faultless  preacher.  His  personal  appeal  to 
individuals  was  always  wise,  appropriate,  exactly  right.  Yet 
not  all  his  hearers  were  converted.  Preaching  does  not  create. 
Persuasion  does  not  create.  Instrumentalities  do  not  create. 
There  is  only  one  Creator.  The  regenerate  soul  is  a  new 
creature.  Beyond  all  that  can  be  accomplished  by  means, 
beyond  all  efficiency  that  God  in  answer  to  prayer  may  give  to 
our  words  and  works — beyond  all  this  is  God's  own  work. 

Let  not  man's  efficiency  become  an  idol,  a  rival  to  God 
himself.  Pray  for  highest  excellence  and  efficiency  in  the 
message-bearing  and  the  personal  influence,  and  pray  also  for 
the  putting  forth  of  divine  power. 

THE  AWAKENING 

To  be  a  Christian!  Ah,  that  is  a  good  thing!  Happy  he 
who  is  a  Christian. 

May  that  be  said  of  me?  I  would  that  it  could  be.  I 
wish — what  do  I  wish  ?  To  be  what  I  am  not  ?  I  speak  not  of 
privilege,  possession,  heirship,  hope,  gratification,  happiness. 
Wherein  does  the  very  nature  of  a  Christian  differ  from  my 
nature  ?  He  is  said  to  have  been  begotten  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
born  of  God,  begotten  by  the  word  of  God.  Does  that  mean 
spoken  into  being,  as  light  was  spoken  into  being?  Made  a 
new  creature  by  the  breath  of  the  Creator  ?  Wherein  does  this 
new  creature  differ  from  the  old  man?  The  old  man  was  a 
failure.  I  am  a  failure.  I  have  missed  the  aim  of  my  being. 
I  am  a  sinner.  My  nature  takes  to  sin.  As  an  ill-balanced 


212          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

arrow,  I  go  not  straight  to  any  aim.    I  have  a  conscience,  but 
its  promptings  do  not  insure  righteousness. 

I  do  not  doubt  the  truth  of  the  gospel.  I  honor  its  ideals 
of  character.  Yet  the  character  which  it  approves  is  not  my 
character.  Would  that  it  might  be ! 

But  character  is  only  the  development  of  one's  nature.  My 
nature  is  what  troubles  me.  Can  any  decision  of  mine  change 
that  nature?  Can  any  decision  of  mine  make  it  certain  that 
God  will  change  my  heart?  My  heart!  My  heart!  The 
loving  and  the  hating!  I  must  love.  I  ought  to  love.  It  is 
my  shame,  not  to  love  the  Perfect  One!  It  is  my  sorrow  also. 
Oh,  for  a  godly  sorrow!  No  act  of  my  will  can  be  a  substitute 
for  godliness  in  my  heart.  No  doing  of  mine,  without  this 
godliness,  will  amount  to  piety. 

I  am  exhorted  to  look  to  Jesus.  Yes,  I  do  fix  my  attention 
upon  him.  He  claims  love  from  me.  My  sensibilities  are 
moved.  Is  he  moving  them  by  the  power  of  his  spirit  ?  Is  he 
changing  me  ?  Only  from  him  can  help  come.  Will  it  come  ? 
Has  it  come  ? 

CONVICTION 

The  Holy  Spirit,  the  Comforter,  "will  convict  the  world 
in  respect  of  sin,  ....  of  sin  in  that  they  believe  not  on  me."1 

" They  believe  not " — that  must  include  me.  Believe  not? 
I  do  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  what  he  claims  to  be,  but  to 
believe  on  him,  to  have  faith  in  him,  certainly  includes  heart 
work.  Love,  trust,  devotion,  dependence,  subjection,  obedi- 
ence, discipleship,  fellowship  in  his  experiences,  absorption  in 
his  interest — Oh,  how  much  is  included  in  the  required  faith! 
No,  the  world  does  not  believe  on  him.  Do  I  believe  on  him  ? 
He  is  the  word  of  God.  God's  law  is  in  his  mouth.  Does  it 
control  me  ?  God's  love  is  in  all  his  missions.  Does  that  con- 
trol me  ?  If  he  had  not  come  at  all  into  the  world  as  a  Savior, 

'John  16:8-9  (R-V.  followed,  except  "in  that"  is  used  instead  of 
"because"). 


SCRIPTURAL  MEDITATIONS  213 

the  penalty  for  sin  would  have  been  due  from  a  sinful  world. 
If,  notwithstanding  his  coming,  the  world  remains  disloyal  to 
God,  rejecting  the  message  of  peace,  the  condemnation  is 
aggravated.  The  world?  That  includes  me  again.  The  sin 
of  violating  God's  law,  and  the  aggravated  sin  of  continued 
disloyalty  against  the  admonitions  and  overtures  of  the  gospel; 
this  is  proved  against  me. 

If  I  am  reminded  of  specific  deeds  or  faults  against  the 
commandments,  these  are  only  telltale  jets  from  the  heart's 
volcanic  ebullitions.  A  life  serene  in  unquestioned  morality 
cannot  quiet  my  conscience  so  long  as  I  know  of  the  depravity 
beneath. 

Sin — Ah,  sleeping  tiger,  I  fear  thee!  Sinful  indulgences, 
tasteless  as  water,  or  pleasing  as  nectar,  are  none  the  less  poison- 
ous, deadly.  Tasteless  ?  Only  to  the  carnal  sense.  Does  not 
my  soul  shudder  at  the  very  thought  of  sin  ?  It  did  not  always 
so  shudder.  Has  the  Holy  Spirit  awakened  in  me  or  created 
in  me  a  new  sense?  A  taste  that  detects  the  loathsomeness 
of  sin  ? 

The  guilt  of  sin — how  have  I  failed  to  appreciate  that 
Excuses,  palliations,  habits,  examples,  associations,  stupidity, 
indifference,  blindness,  passion,  heredity — none  of  these  can 
relieve  my  sense  of  this  guilt.  Neither  can  an  amended  life, 
nor  promised  exemption  from  punishment.  Not  only  in  gross 
acts  offensive  to  common  culture;  specific  sins,  as  murder  or 
social  wrongs  abhorrent  by  their  effects;  not  only  in  these,  but 
in  disloyalty  itself;  in  the  very  impulse  or  thought  that  is  dis- 
pleasing to  God,  the  guilt  remains  a  perpetual,  intolerable  thing. 

To  think  that  I  could  ever  relish  sin!  I  am  ashamed  of  my 
possibilities.  Let  me  hate  sin  itself,  and  dread  it  worse  than  any 
penalty  or  consequent  suffering.  Sin! — the  one  bad  thing  in 
the  universe.  What  a  wonder  that  it  can  be  forgiven!  I  do 
not  deserve  forgiveness.  But  God  does  forgive,  and  heal,  and 
save.  Oh,  the  guilt;  the  shame  of  saying  no  to  such  a  friend! 


214       THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

REPENTANCE 

"Against  thee,  thee  only,  have  I  sinned."1 

Sin  is  against  God.  If  the  wrong  is  against  man,  its  sinful- 
ness  lies  in  its  opposition  to  God,  to  his  law,  to  his  standard  of 
right.  If  the  act  involves  no  perceivable  wrong  against  man, 
this  fact  is  of  minor  importance.  God  is  higher  than  man. 
An  act,  an  impulse,  a  thought  against  God  scarcely  leaves  room 
for  the  consideration  of  human  interests  in  its  measure  of  guilt. 
A  right  mind  groups  all  wrongs,  nay,  condenses  them  all  into 
one  wrong,  and  that  against  God.  Thus  any  one  wrong,  how- 
ever trivial  it  may  have  seemed  before,  becomes  as  a  sin  an 
unutterable  offense. 

So  a  right  mind  judges  sin.  Is  my  mind  right  then  ?  There 
are  sins  that  I  hate;  but  do  I  hate  sin  ?  Sin  in  my  own  actions, 
impulses,  thoughts — do  I  detect  it  as  readily  as  in  others  ? — and 
condemn  it  as  cordially  ? — as  promptly  ? 

Well  may  I  hate  sin.  It  is  a  monster.  It  is  an  insanity. 
It  is  against  good.  It  brings  woe.  What  if  it  did  not  bring 
woe  ?  Would  I  hate  it  for  itself  ?  The  consequences  of  sin,  its 
bitter  fruits,  the  wickedest  selfishness  can  hate  them.  To  regret 
sin  because  of  its  fruits,  or  because  of  the  penalty  incurred  by 
it,  may  be  no  proof  of  penitence.  To  be  scared  out  of  evil 
courses  by  fear  of  retribution  may  indicate  awakened  sensibility, 
but  it  does  not  prove  repentance.  It  does  not  prove  hatred  of 
sin  as  sin. 

The  wages  of  sin  are  not  to  be  coveted.  Death!  Ah,  what 
does  that  mean  ?  Wages  ?  They  are  earned !  My  sin,  so 
excuseless,  so  treasonable,  deserves  its  doom.  Yet  penalty 
cannot  assuage  guilt.  Oh,  the  sting  of  conscious  guilt!  Guilt 
everlasting,  unmitigated  by  punishment  everlasting!  How 
fearful  a  thing  is  sin!  Yes,  I  do  dread;  I  hate  both  it  and  its 
fruit.  My  shame  can  find  no  hiding  from  the  face  of  the  Holy 

^  Ps.  51:4. 


SCRIPTURAL  MEDITATIONS  215 

One.  The  wrath  of  the  Lamb,  my  convicted  conscience  dreads 
as  an  added  shame.  Shame  that  my  depravity,  perversity, 
sinfulness  incurs  wrath  from  such  a  being!  If  hiding  were 
possible,  or  escape  from  so  just  a  doom,  would  it  not  be  mean 
in  me  to  wish  for  escape?  Mean?  Yes,  but  meaner  still  to 
refuse  when  he  invites!  It  would  be  mean  to  wish  for  evasion 
or  compromise;  but  pardon  is  another  scheme. 

But  pardon  becomes  possible  only  by  the  vicarious  death  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Can  I  wish  for  pardon  so  produced?  Ah  me! 
Must  my  sin  pierce  him  ?  Can  I  bear  the  thought  ?  But  he 
waits  not  to  be  asked.  He  has  died!  The  atoning  work  is 
finished.  This  is  God's  will.  Atonement  becomes  law!  Shi 
against  law  of  commandment  shames  me.  Sin  against  law  of 
grace  shames  me  no  less.  The  atonement  commands  me. 

If  now  my  mourning  for  sin  is  genuine,  a  godly  sorrow  work- 
ing genuine  repentance,  I  am  to  welcome  every  expression  of 
the  Lord's  will.  The  comfort  promised  to  such  mourning  has 
already  begun.  I  can  afford  to  wait  for  its  fulness. 

FAITH  AND  EXPECTATION 

Expectation  depends  on  recognized  probabilities.  Faith  is 
independent  of  probabilities.  Faith  expects  what  is  promised, 
but  with  or  without  a  promise,  with  or  without  expectation  of 
good,  faith  finds  content  in  clinging. 

LED 

"Ye  know  that  when  ye  were  Gentiles  ye  were  led  away 
unto  those  dumb  idols,  howsoever  ye  might  be  led."1  Certain 
silly  creatures  are  described  by  Paul  as  led  by  divers  lusts.2 
This  leading  is  not  dragging.  The  led  follow  willingly.  The 
way  they  are  led  is  the  way  of  their  choice,  an  evil  choice,  a 
guilty  choice. 

1 1  Cor.  12:2  (R.V.).  *  II  Tim.  3:6, 


216          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

By  a  mob  the  Lord  Jesus  was  led  to  the  brow  of  a  precipice. x 
By  the  Spirit  he  was  led  into  the  wilderness.2  His  following 
was  a  submission  to  another's  choice. 

In  becoming  Christians  the  Corinthians  submitted  to  a  new 
leading,  and  with  as  hearty  willingness,  by  a  new  choice.  "No 
one  can  say  Jesus  is  Lord,  but  in  the  Holy  Spirit.  There  are 
diversities  of  gifts,  but  the  same  Spirit.  There  are  diversities 
of  services,  and  the  same  Lord.  There  are  diversities  of  work- 
ings, but  the  same  God  who  works  all  in  all."3  To  be  a  Chris- 
tian is  to  be  led  rightly,  willingly,  effectively.  "As  many  as  are 
led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  these  are  the  sons  of  God."4 

SOVEREIGN  GRACE 

When  David  prays,  "Incline  my  heart  unto  thy  testi- 
monies,"5 he  confesses  his  need  of  a  work  of  God  upon  or  in  the 
person  who  prays.  He  does  not  ask  for  a  work  which  God 
cannot  do.  The  old  covenant6  was  weak  through  the  flesh.7 
The  obedience  required  was  not  secured.  The  flesh  was 
unreliable.  The  new  covenant8  promises  the  obedience  itself, 
not  by  any  cramping  process,  not  by  any  diminution  of  personal 
freedom,  but  by  Sovereign  Grace.  This  is  a  better  covenant, 
enacted  upon  better  promises.9 

The  triumph  of  the  Redeemer  is  to  depend,  not  upon  the 
pliability  of  human  depraved  nature,  not  upon  some  persons 
proving  less  obstinate  or  less  perverse  than  others,  and  so  ready 
to  accept  proposals,  but  upon  a  work  which  God  himself  under- 
takes. "I  will  put."  "I  will  write."  This  is  the  promise. 

'Luke 4: 29,  "hill." 

3  Luke  4:1. 

3  Cor.  12:3-6  (R.V.,  slightly  modified). 

4 Rom.  8:14  (R.V.,  except  in  retaining  "the"  before  "sons"). 

s  Ps.  119:36. 

6Exod.  34:28.  8Jer.  31:31-33. 

7  Rom.  8:3.  »Heb.  8:6. 


SCRIPTURAL  MEDITATIONS  217 

The  flesh  is  still  weak,  and  worse.  Faith's  assurance  rests 
on  God's  promise,  on  God's  power,  on  God's  faithfulness.  It  is 
useless,  dangerous,  wicked,  to  flatter  and  pet  the  human  will  in 
its  relations  to  God.'  The  enmity  of  the  carnal  mind  can  never 
be  wheedled  into  loyalty.  "Thou  shalt  love,"  is  the  divine 
ultimatum.1  To  this  demand  the  human  heart  replies,  "No." 
The  only  genuine  compliance  with  this  demand  is  prompted  by 
the  divine  Spirit. 

Theorize  as  men  will,  genuine  piety  thanks  God  for  the  very 
first  submissive  thought.  Prayer  confesses  that  "every  good 
gift  and  every  perfect  gift  is  from  above."2 

JOY  or  GOD'S  SALVATION 

Is  this  a  glad  consciousness  of  being  saved  ?  A  lively  sense 
of  benefits  received  or  promised?  Appreciation  of  the  soul's 
best  interests  assured  ?  Is  that  all  ?  Is  that  the  main  request 
in  David's  prayer  ?3  If  he  gains  what  he  seeks,  will  his  thoughts 
and  feelings  be  occupied  chiefly  with  his  own  personal  good,  or 
with  the  manifested  attributes  of  the  Being  who  saves  ?  Thy  sal- 
vation !  Wonderful  exhibition  of  grace !  Only  one  being  possesses 
this  high  prerogative.  The  Sovereign  Source  of  Law  can  pardon. 
He  who  made  man  upright  can  restore  the  fallen.  He  who  hates 
sin  infinitely  can  love  wonderfully.  He  who  looks  through  all 
contingencies,  who  controls  all  forces,  can  save  with  certainty. 

I,  too,  hate  sin.  Defiled,  I  hate  my  defilement.  My  own 
sin  I  hate  most  of  all.  I  could  almost  crave  the  punishment  of 
it.  But  I  need  not.  God  can  remove  the  stain.  God  can 
make  just.  God  can  restore  hope,  peace,  joy.  Joy  of  recon- 
ciliation. Joy  of  love.  Joy  of  gratitude.  Joy  of  devotion  to 
righteousness,  devotion  to  God.  A  joy  unselfish,  holy,  worthy 
to  be  desired,  itself  a  gift  from  God,  a  beam  of  the  glory  of 
God's  wondrous  salvation. 

1  Deut.     6:5;  Lev.  19:18;  Matt.  22:37-39. 

a  Jas.  1:17.        3  "  Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of  thy  salvation." — Ps.  51:12. 


218  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

ASSURANCE 

The  scattering  of  Israel  by  reason  of  departure  from  God 
was  foretold  by  Moses;1  with  its  consequences  to  individuals. 
"Thou  shalt  fear  night  and  day,  and  shalt  have  no  assurance 
of  thy  life."2 

The  prophet  Isaiah  vividly  portrays  the  near  fulfilment  of 
this  prophecy,3  but  looks  beyond,  to  a  day  of  divine  favor.4 
"Then  judgment  shall  dwell  in  the  wilderness;  and  "righteous- 
ness shall  abide  in  the  fruitful  field.  And  the  work  of  righteous- 
ness shall  be  peace;  and  the  effect  of  righteousness,  quietness 
and  confidence  ('assurance')  for  ever."5 

What  is  Hezekiah's  privilege  to  be  thus  confident  under 
Rabshakeh's  taunt?  He  said  to  Isaiah:  "It  may  be  the  Lord 
thy  God  will  hear  the  words  of  Rabshakeh,  ....  and  will 
rebuke  the  words  which  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  heard."6  Was 
that  possibility  sufficient?  Did  he  need  the  definite  promise 
which  Isaiah  returned  to  him  ?7 

Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abednego  were  "not  careful"  to 
answer  Nebuchadnezzar.  They  knew  that  their  God  was  "able 
to  deliver"  them.  They  trusted  that  he  would  deliver  them. 
"But  if  not,"  their  quiet  purpose  remains  undisturbed.8 

Sennacherib's  assurance  was  impudence.  Hezekiah's  was 
modest,  but  enduring. 

A  false  hope  may  encourage  self-assertion;  but  genuine 
righteousness,  with  or  without  expectation  of  desired  good, 
furnishes  assured  peace. 

YOUNG  PEOPLE 

What  is  the  line  of  distinction  between  "young  people," 
and  other  people  ?    Is  it  an  imaginary  line  ?    Is  it  a  variable 
1  Deut.  28:64-66.  5  Isa.  32: 16-17  (R.V.  and  A.V.  combined). 

*  Deut.  28:66  (R.V.).          6  Isa.  37:4  (R.V.). 
a  Isa.  32 : 9  -14.  7  Isa.  37 : 6-7. 

« Isa.  32:15-18.  8  Dan.  3:17-18. 


SCRIPTURAL  MEDITATIONS  219 

line?  Is  it  an  appreciable  line  ?  Is  it  a  line  of  division  ?  Does 
it  suggest  any  dangers  ?  Does  it  suggest  helpful  possibilities  ? 
In  either  direction  is  it  wise  to  make  this  line  of  distinction 
more  conspicuous  ? 

The  young  people:  Who  are  they?  In  some  sense,  all 
vigorous  persons  are  counted  young.  The  most  advanced  in 
years,  if  still  in  sympathy  with  youthful  dispositions,  are  some- 
times counted  the  youngest.  But  who  are  expected  to  consti- 
tute the  societies  of  young  people  ?  Certainly  not  aged  people, 
however  vigorous  and  genial.  Neither  are  the  children  all  of 
the  proper  age  to  be  included. 

Between  the  periods  of  life  in  which  people  are  accounted 
either  children  or  old  people,  the  youth  are  found  in  their  bloom 
and  vigor.  If  these  young  people  can  the  better  develop  their 
growth  and  use  their  vigor  in  useful  service  by  some  young 
people's  organization,  the  question  of  exact  age  may  be  referred 
to  some  sliding  scale,  or  to  each  person's  sense  of  propriety. 
If  the  line  of  demarkation  proves  to  be  obscure,  that  may  be  an 
advantage.  Frequent  trespass  from  each  side  of  it  to  the  other 
by  mutual  and  mingled  service  may  develop  and  magnify 
unsuspected  elements  of  fellowship. 

It  will,  however,  be  well  to  remember  that  young  people 
will  not  be  young  always.  Now  is  your  opportunity;  make 
the  most  of  it! 

Whatever  question  may  arise  as  to  the  propriety  of  persons 
not  included  in  young  people's  organizations  offering  counsel 
or  co-operation  in  their  work,  no  question  of  this  sort  need  hinder 
the  young  people  from  the  freest  participation  in  all  church  work. 

CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE 

The  beginning  of  a  Christian  experience  is  the  new  birth. 
Wherein  does  he  who  is  bora  of  the  Spirit  differ  from  what  he 
was  before  ?  What  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  has  been  wrought 
in  him? 


220         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

What  reliable  testimony  can  a  Christian  be  expected  to 
furnish  as  to  his  own  spiritual  birth?  He  can  tell  what  he 
knows.  What  does  he  know?  His  own  thoughts,  feelings, 
purposes,  conduct,  past  and  present,  at  least  in  part.  But  these 
are  only  tokens,  not  the  birth.  He  can  narrate  incidents  and 
occasions  of  interest,  that  have  impressed  his  mind.  He  can 
attest  his  firm  belief  and  his  satisfaction  in  his  confidence;  but 
belief  is  not  testimony.  Even  if  he  can  speak  of  a  marked  and 
impressive  change  in  his  mind  at  some  definite  time,  he  can  only 
infer  and  leave  other  persons  to  infer  the  cause  of  it.  Then  as 
to  the  change  itself,  was  it  in  his  own  mental  nature?  or  in 
his  way  of  looking  at  things  ?  a  change  in  himself  ?  or  only  in 
his  activities?  Some  remarkable  changes  have  been  followed 
by  disappointment. 

In  more  particulars  than  one,  "the  kingdom  of  God  cometh 
not  with  observation."1  Not  with  the  new  joy  of  hope,  not 
with  the  first  assurance  of  peace,  does  the  new  life  begin.  Not 
with  any  remembered  act,  or  thought,  or  wish;  but  in  the 
secret  chambers  of  the  soul  there  was  begotten  "the  will  to  do 
his  will."  The  salt  of  healing  was  cast  into  the  bitter  fountain, 
before  the  first  issue  of  new  life  from  the  heart.  The  time  of 
the  new  birth  is  often,  perhaps  always,  unknown.  The  first 
startling  manifestation  of  it  may  be  dated.  But  subsequent 
reflection  may  detect  signs  of  the  new  life  having  begun  yet 
earlier.  Sometimes  the  signs  of  the  new  life  may  fail  to  be  rec- 
ognized as  proof,  even  though  impressive.  These  are  to  be 
observed  with  care,  but  always  to  be  distinguished  from  the 
new  birth*  itself. 

All  that  is  involved  in  the  new  birth  becomes  the  sum  of 
the  Christian  experience.  Only  the  less  essential,  the  less  vital 
portions,  can  be  directly  told.  The  items  that  are  told  are 
mainly  valuable  as  indicating  what  cannot  be  told.  The  items 
may  vary  infinitely;  but  their  meaning  is  one.  Time,  place, 

'Luke  17:20. 


SCRIPTURAL  MEDITATIONS  221 

nationality,  personal  peculiarities,  attendant  circumstances, 
previous  and  subsequent  history  may  shape  the  utterances  of 
converts,  but  the  attested  Christian  experience  is  a  unit,  a 
common  fellowship.  All  are  one  in  Christ  Jesus.1 

Though  no  statement  of  a  Christian  experience  can  tell  it 
all,  a  very  brief  statement  can  indicate  it  all.  The  indication 
may  be  indirect  and  unexpected,  yet  none  the  less  reliable  and 
satisfactory  to  one  who  considers  that  the  chief  value  of  the 
narrative  resides,  not  in  its  appeals  to  sympathy;  not  in  start- 
ling contrasts  of  pain  and  comfort,  sorrow  and  joy,  despair  and 
hope,  depravity  and  reform,  darkness  and  light,  trouble  and 
peace;  not  in  any  form  of  nervous  agitation;  but  in  its  reliable 
indication  of  spiritual  birth.  That  indication  may  be  furnished 
by  a  cry  or  a  sob,  not  less  reliably  than  by  definite  utterances. 
He  who  is  sure  that  he  knows  his  whole  experience  and  can 
tell  it  all,  may  suspect  its  shallowness.  There  ought  to  be  in 
it  a  depth  which  consciousness  cannot  sound. 

"The  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal;  but  the  things 
which  are  not  seen  are  eternal."2 

REMEMBERED  EXPERIENCE 

If  the  beginnings  of  my  Christian  joy  and  love  and  hope 
were  more  brilliant  than  my  later  experiences,  ought  I  to  put 
the  first  out  of  mind  ?  Ought  I  to  forget  them  ? 

If  my  later  experience,  or  want  of  experience,  justifies 
the  belief  that  the  first  joy  and  love  and  hope  were  spurious,  the 
sooner  I  leave  the  spurious,  and  enter  upon  the  genuine,  the 
safer  for  me.  It  is  not  certain,  however,  that  diminished  bril- 
liancy proves  me  to  have  been  deceived.  The  spiritual  quality 
or  nature  of  affections  and  emotions  is  not  always  discernible  by 
their  fervor,  their  pungency,  or  their  strength.  Nervousness  is 
not  spirituality.  Freedom  from  conscious  nervous  agitation  is 

1  Gal.  3:28. 
2 II  Cor.  4: 18. 


222          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

not  proof  of  death.  If,  however,  I  have  been  born  of  God,  I 
am  alive.  Signs  of  life  will  certainly  attend  later  moments  than 
the  moment  of  birth. 

He  whose  spiritual  pulse-beat  is  so  faint  as  to  necessitate  a 
reference  to  some  old  record  for  proof  that  he  was  once  alive, 
needs  invigoration  more  effective  than  the  stimulus  of  an  old 
fancy. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  well  to  remember  past  mercies,  the 
day  of  espousal,  the  first  love  to  Christ. 

THE  CHURCH  COVENANT 

The  obligations  of  membership  in  a  Baptist  church  are  to 
be  learned  from  the  New  Testament.  They  do  not  originate 
in  any  pledge.  For  the  purposes  of  mutual  understanding  and 
of  personal  remembrance  and  helpfulness,  a  carefully  prepared 
statement  of  recognized  duties  and  declared  purposes  or  inten- 
tions, called  a  covenant,  has  been  deemed  desirable.  Such  a 
statement  should  be  neither  overestimated  nor  underestimated. 
Its  specifications  of  duties  are  only  selections.  Other  selections 
might  have  been  included.  Some  of  those  made  might  have 
been  omitted.  If  it  assumes  to  originate  obligations,  these 
obligations  may  be  questioned.  If  it  binds  any  person  oppres- 
sively, or  dictates  for  duty  what  the  New  Testament  forbids,  it 
becomes  self-contradictory  and  void.  The  right  of  private 
judgment  and  of  personal  conscience  under  the  law  of  Christ, 
it  cannot  annul  nor  disregard.  If  in  any  particular  the  covenant 
is  wrong,  it  is  so  far  invalid.  In  so  far  as  it  is  right,  it  is  only  an 
index  and  a  response  to  the  law  of  Christ  in  the  New  Testament. 

COVENANT  MEETINGS 

The  observance  of  the  Lord's  Supper  is  in  many  churches 
preceded  by  a  preparatory  service.  Baptists  value  for  this 
purpose  a  social  meeting  in  which  all  the  members  present  may, 
if  so  inclined,  make  mention  of  their  personal  experience,  remind- 


SCRIPTURAL  MEDITATIONS  223 

ing  each  other  of  their  mutual  privileges  and  obligations,  and 
of  their  common  relations  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  read- 
ing of  the  church  covenant  suggests  reminiscences,  confessions, 
exhortations,  words  of  encouragement,  tending  to  a  revival  of 
brotherly  love  and  of  gratitude  and  loyalty  to  him  who  as  our 
Passover  was  sacrificed  for  us.  Absent  members  are  called  to 
mind,  especially  any  to  whom  special  sympathy  or  service  may 
be  appropriately  extended.  This  is  a  family  gathering. 

AN  OLD-TIME   COVENANT  MEETING 

In  the  old  Bottskill  Baptist  Church,  at  Greenwich,  New 
York,  on  Saturday  afternoon  of  covenant  meeting  day  the 
farmers  and  their  families  and  the  members  generally  would 
be  found  together  in  their  house  of  worship.  Good  old  Deacon 
Parker,  respected  by  all,  would  lead  the  meeting.  He  would  call 
each  brother  by  name,  in  order,  until  all  the  brethren  who  chose  to 
speak  had  spoken.  Then  Deacon  Adams  would  invite  each  sister 
by  name  to  speak,  if  so  inclined.  Inclined  ?  Yes,  the  most  of 
them  were  inclined  to  speak.  By  the  time  that  Sister  Phillips 
was  reached,  the  fire  was  hot,  and  listening  to  her  the  entire 
assembly  seemed  to  be  transported  with  sublime  enthusiasm. 

In  this  white  heat  no  personal  alienations  could  remain. 
Some  man  would  say,  "  I  have  nothing  against  anyone,  and  if  I 
have  hurt  anyone,  you  all  know  your  privilege."  They  did 
know  it,  and  they  used  it.  The  brother  would  be  called  out 
into  the  vestibule.  There  loud  whispers  or  subdued  voices 
would  be  heard  for  a  time.  But  soon  these  brethren  would  come 
in,  understanding  each  other.  No  church  hardness  could  pass 
through  such  a  covenant  meeting. 

The  members  of  that  church  knew  each  other,  and  they 
loved  each  other. 

SURE 

Among  the  last  words  of  David  are  these:  " Verily  my 
house  is  not  so  with  God;  yet  he  hath  made  with  me  an 


224          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

everlasting  covenant,  ordered  in  all  things,  and  sure."1  Con- 
tingent conditions,  depending  on  human  integrity,  would  intro- 
duce an  element  of  uncertainty;  but  what  God  takes  singly 
upon  himself  is  reliable. 

In  Isaiah  55:3,  "the  sure  mercies  of  David"  are  assured  to 
persons  who  comply  with  the  invitation,  "  Incline  your  ear,  and 
come  unto  me."  To  David  they  are  sure.  To  whom  else? 

In  Jeremiah  31 133,  a  new  covenant  with  the  house  of  Israel 
promises,  "  I  will  put  my  law  in  their  inward  parts,  and  in  their 
heart  will  I  write  it;  and  I  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be 
my  people."2  No  */  here!  Compliance  here  will  be  with  the 
divine  invitation,  conformity  to  divine  law,  but  that  compliance 
appears  under  the  new  covenant,  not  a  contingency,  an  element 
of  uncertainty;  nay,  it  is  a  gift  in  the  covenant  assured  by 
direct,  specific  promise,  guaranteed  by  the  faithfulness  of  God. 

This  is  the  "better  covenant,  which  hath  been  enacted  upon 
better  promises."3 

'II  Sam.  23:s(R.V.). 

2R.V. 

a  Heb.  8:6  (R.V.);  see  vss.  6-13. 


PART  IV 
THE  LIFE-STORY  OF  SUSAN  ESTHER  COLVER 


SUSAN  ESTHER   COLVER  AT   THE   TIME  OF   HER    GRADUATION   FROM 
THE  OLD  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  IN   1882 


CHAPTER  I 
A  CHILD  OF  NEW  ENGLAND 

Susan  Esther  Colver  was  born  on  Tuesday,  November  15, 
1859,  in  the  New  England  village  of  South  Abington,  which 
since  1886  has  been  called  Whitman,  Massachusetts.  Her 
New  England  ancestry  of  strong,  able,  public-spirited  men, 
on  the  side  of  her  father,  Rev.  Charles  Kendricl^  Colver,  has 
already  been  described.  Of  equal  length  in  New  England,  and 
also  of  equal  respectability,  although  perhaps  more  strictly  of 
the  farmer  type  and  inclined  to  remain  in  one  locality,  was  her 
ancestry  on  the  side  of  her  mother,  Susan  C.  Colver,  whose 
maiden  name,  in  full,  was  Susanna  Champney  Reed,  and  whose 
place  of  birth  was  South  Abington. 

Mrs.  Colver  was  a  woman  of  a  very  even  temper  and  of  a 
very  pleasant  disposition;  a  woman  of  refinement  and  of  good 
education  for  her  day.  She  is  still  spoken  of  by  persons  who 
knew  her  as  having  been  an  especially  fine-looking  woman. 
She  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Baptist  church.1  Her  parents 
were  Jonathan  Loring  and  Lucy  Champney  Reed. 

Jonathan  Loring  Reed  was  a  sturdy  New  Englander,  a 
Baptist,  and  a  veteran  of  the  War  of  1812,  who  probably  should 
be  classed  as  a  farmer,  although  he  was  not  exclusively  one. 
He  was  a  descendant  of  William  Reade  of  Weymouth.  The 
latter  came  from  England  in  1635;  was  made  a  freeman  in 

1  Jacob  Whittemore  Reed  says,  with  reference  to  those  bearing  the 
name  of  Reed,  that  "they  have  been  usually  of  a  religious  turn  of  mind, 
being  firm  supporters  of  the  institution  of  the  gospel;  but  they  are  fond  of 
mirth  and  fun,  a  propensity  which  seems  to  run  through  all  of  the  name 
within  my  observation." — History  of  the  Reed  Family  in  Europe  and  America 
(Boston:  John  Wilson  &  Son,  1861),  Introduction,  p.  7. 

227 


228          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

September  of  that  year;  and  was  soon  taking  an  important  part 
in  public  affairs,  becoming  Weymouth's  first  representative  in 
the  General  Court  of  the  Colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay  in  New 
England,  being  sent  as  a  deputy  in  September,  I636,1  with  two 
others,  which  two  were  at  once  dismissed,  while  he  (Goodman 
or  "Goo":  Will:  Reade)  was  accepted,  one  representative  from 
Weymouth  being  considered  enough. 

Not  only  was  Susan  Esther  Colver  of  Puritan  descent,  but 
her  ancestry  could  also  be  traced,  maternally,  to  one  of  the 
Pilgrim  band  that  came  over  in  the  Mayflower,  for  her  line  of 
descent  from  William  Reade  of  Weymouth  was  through  his  son 
William  Reed,  who  was  born  in  Weymouth  and  in  1675  married 
Esther  (or  Hester)  Thompson,  a  granddaughter  of  Francis  Cook 
(or  Cooke)  who  was  a  member  of  the  Mayflower  company, 
Esther  Thompson's  mother  being  Francis  Cook's  daughter 
Mary.2 

The  term  "South  Abington"  was  first  and  for  a  long  time 
used,  beginning  in  the  eighteenth  century,  simply  to  designate 
the  southern  portion  of  the  quite  large  agricultural  district  in 
Plymouth  County,  Massachusetts,  which  for  local  governmental 

1  In  the  following  month,  "At  the  Generall  Court  houlden  at  Boston, 
....  The  Court  agreed  to  give  4oo£  towards  a  schoale  or  colledge  whearof 
2oo£  to  bee  paid  the  next  yeare,  &  2oo£  when  the  worke  is  finished."     Two 
years  afterward,  in  consequence  of  a  bequest  to  this  first  American  college 
from  Rev.  John  Harvard,  of  Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  of  one-half  of  his 
estate,  together  with  his  library  of  something  like  260  volumes,  the  general 
court  "ordered,  that  the  colledge  agreed  vpon  formerly  to  be  built  at  Cam- 
bridg  shalbee  called  Harvard  Colledge./" — The  Records  of  the  Governor  and 
Company  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  in  New  England  (Boston,  1853),  I,  183, 
253- 

2  Jacob  Whittemore  Reed,  History  of  the  Reed  Family  in  Europe  and 
America,  p.  311;  John  Ludovicus  Reed,  The  Reade  Genealogy;  Descendants  of 
William  Reade  of  Weymouth,  Massachusetts,  from  1635  to  1902  (Baltimore: 
The  Friedenwald  Co.),  pp.  ix,  5.  cf.  Aaron  Hobart,  An  Historical  Sketch 
of  Abington,  Plymouth  County,  Massachusetts  (Boston:  Samuel  N.  Dickinson, 
1839),  P-  Si- 


i 


THE  HOUSE  IX  WHICH  SUSAX  ESTHER  COLVER  WAS  BORX 


STREET  VIEW  SHOWING  THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH  IX  WHITMAN, 
FORMERLY  SOUTH  ABINGTOX   MASSACHUSETTS 


A  CHILD  OF  NEW  ENGLAND  229 

purposes  was  called  the  town  of  Abington.  But  that  part  of  the 
town  had  its  own  distinct  settlement,  which  became  more  often 
than  not  what  was  referred  to  when  "South  Abington"  was 
spoken  of;  and  when  that  settlement  developed  into  an  impor- 
tant village,  the  latter  took  the  settlement's  name  of  South 
Abington. 

The  village  of  South  Abington  was  located  about  sixteen 
miles  northwest  of  Plymouth,  twenty-one  miles  southeast  of 
Boston,  and  perhaps  ten  miles  south  of  Weymouth,  on  rolling 
ground  very  much  like  that  roundabout  it,  which  was  somewhat 
stony  and  apparently  better  adapted  for  grazing  purposes  than 
for  tillage,  yet,  on  the  whole,  more  desirable  for  settlement  than 
were  many  other  places.  In  the  course  of  time,  the  Plymouth 
branch  of  the  Old  Colony  Railroad  was  built  through  the  village 
to  connect,  by  that  route,  Plymouth  and  some  other  places  with 
Boston.  By  1859  the  village  had  a  population  of  perhaps  two 
thousand.  It,  of  course,  had  its  churches,  schools,  stores,  shops, 
and  post-office.  It  had  also  a  bank  and,  notably,  a  tack  fac- 
tory, as  well  as  possibly  some  other  industries.  In  short,  it  was 
a  very  typical,  thrifty  New  England  village.  Nor  was  it  an 
unattractive  one,  although  it  was  without  any  especially  great 
attraction. 

When  Susan  Esther  Colver  was  born,  her  father  was  filling 
the  pulpit  of  the  Baptist  church  in  South  Abington,  and  he  and 
Mrs.  Colver  were  living  at  the  home  of  the  latter's  father, 
Jonathan  Loring  Reed,  who  had  quite  a  large  house  for  those 
days.  The  house,  with  trees  around  it,  faced  toward  the  south, 
in  a  somewhat  sheltered  position  on  the  north  side  of  what  is 
now  called  South  Avenue,  on  a  gentle  slope  toward  the  east, 
and  five  or  ten  minutes'  walk  east  of  the  Baptist  church,  which 
was  at  the  business  center  of  the  village.  The  house  was  on 
what  was  then  a  portion  of  Mr.  Reed's  farm.  A  later  owner 
moved  the  house  across  South  Avenue  and  turned  it  around  to 
front  north  on  the  avenue. 


230          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Village  life  in  New  England  around  1859  was,  generally 
speaking,  life  on  a  comparatively  high  plane.  It  probably  aver- 
aged better,  in  morals  and  in  general  well-being  at  least,  than 
did  the  life  in  the  large  cities,  and  it  was  more  pleasant  in  some 
ways  than  was  life  in  the  country.  It  had  its  center  primarily 
in  the  home,  and,  outside  of  that,  mainly  hi  the  church,  for  the 
women  especially.  During  six  days  in  the  week  the  men  gave 
most  of  their  active  attention  to  their  business  or  work,  what- 
ever it  might  be.  At  times  they  also  took  a  great  deal  of  interest 
in  political  matters.  Both  the  men  and  the  women  were  char- 
acteristically thrifty,  due  largely  to  what  they  had  to  contend 
with  in  the  rather  severe  climate  and  in  the  somewhat  sterile 
soil;  but  the  vast  majority  of  the  people  did  not  live  wholly  for 
themselves,  nor  for  this  world.  They  believed  in  God,  and  in 
an  eternal,  conscious,  personal  life  hereafter  which  they  con- 
sidered was  of  incomparably  more  importance  than  was  this 
fleeting  existence.  If  their  actions  did  not  always  accord  with 
their  belief,  the  latter  was  nevertheless  a  great  controlling  force 
in  their  lives. 

The  question  arises  as  to  whether  their  times  were  better  or 
worse  than  those  of  a  century  or  so  earlier;  and,  How  would 
their  times  compare  with  our  times  ?  The  short  answer  is,  that 
they  were  at  an  intermediate  point  of  development  between 
Puritan  tunes  and  the  present.  This  was  particularly  true 
educationally.  Looked  back  upon  from  today,  their  times  seem 
better  to  some  persons  than  those  of  today,  as  has  always  been 
the  case  when  past  times  have  been  considered,  with  many  of 
their  details  hidden.  In  some  respects,  life  then  was  simpler 
than  it  is  now;  yet  it  is  quite  likely  that  as  much  was  gained  as 
was  lost  by  that  fact.  The  people  in  the  villages  in  particular 
were,  on  the  whole,  reasonably  comfortable  and  contented — 
yes,  happy.  They  were  neighborly,  and  in  that  they  found 
their  chief,  and  sufficient,  diversions,  beyond  what  they  found 
in  going  to  meetings,  which  had  a  social  as  well  as  a  religious 


A  CHILD  OF  NEW  ENGLAND  231 

side.  They  did  not  have  much  time  or  desire  for  amusements 
as  such.  Still,  taking  everything  into  account,  few  persons 
would  want  to  exchange  life  under  present  conditions  for  life 
under  such  conditions  as  then  existed. 

A  few  comparisons  with  conditions  in  early  colonial  times 
will  show  that  there  was  a  general  improvement  rather  than  any 
retrogression  up  to  the  tunes  in  question.  To  begin  with,  child 
life  had  a  much  better  chance  to  survive  and  to  develop,  in  the 
middle  of  the  nineteenth  century,  than  it  had  in  the  seventeenth 
or  in  the  eighteenth  century.  Many  things  were  improved. 
The  homes  were  more  comfortable.  Children  were  not  ordi- 
narily required  to  work  so  much  or  so  hard  as  formerly.  They 
had  greater  advantages,  particularly  with  regard  to  books  and 
the  opportunity  of  attending  school  as  well  as  in  the  schools 
themselves.  But  the  rule  was  still  that  children  were  to  be  seen, 
and  not  heard,  that  is,  they  were  not  to  speak  or  to  give  their 
opinions,  unless  requested  to  do  so,  when  older  persons  were 
talking.  Their  wills  and  wishes  did  not  often  dominate  the 
household.  They  were  taught  to  be  respectful  to  their  parents 
and  to  their  elders  in  general,  and  to  aged  persons  in  particular. 
They  commonly  addressed  or  referred  to  their  parents  half 
reverentially  as  "father"  and  "mother,"  while  their  own  given 
names  were  used  quite  as  punctiliously,  without  abbreviation 
or  substitution,  by  their  parents.  As  an  illustration  of  this 
last  fact,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Colver  almost  or  quite  invariably 
addressed,  or  spoke  of,  their  daughter,  even  when  she  was  but  a 
child,  as  lt  Susan  Esther,"  so  that  she  became  known  by  that 
name  only;  and  because  such  was  the  case,  that  is  the  name 
which  will  generally  be  used  here  for  her  as  a  child,  and  after- 
ward as  a  young  girl. 

If  some  biblical  names  were  still,  as  they  are  yet  sometimes, 
given  to  children,  it  was  principally  because  relatives  after  whom 
it  was  desired  to  name  the  -children  had  the  names,  and  those 
names  had  come  into  general  use.  The  ideas  concerning  the 


232  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

naming  of  children  which  had  prevailed  in  early  Puritan  times 
were  no  longer  current.  The  old  records  of  the  town  of  Abing- 
ton  show  that  such  names  had  been  given  to  girls  as  Remember, 
Experience,  Prudence,  Silence,  and  Thankful.  Again,  in  one 
family  six  children  were  named,  respectively,  Bathsheba,  Daniel, 
Susanna,  Job,  Esther,  and  Abner. 

Moreover,  in  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century,  the 
women  of  New  England,  besides  having  much  more  comfortable 
homes,  or  houses  and  house  furnishings,  were  also  better,  or 
more  warmly,  clothed  than  were  the  women  in  part  or  all  of 
colonial  times.  Still  it  would  seem  that  the  latter  had  the 
greater  need  of  warm  clothing,  considering  the  general  severity 
of  the  climate,  the  comparative  coldness  of  their  dwelling-houses, 
and  the  greater  coldness  of  the  meetinghouses  to  which  they 
went  on  the  Sabbath,  which  were  never  warmed  in  winter,  while 
the  sermons  were  often  several  hours  long,  with  prayers  of 
corresponding  length.  It  is  no  wonder  that  they  took  foot 
stoves  with  them  to  meeting  in  winter.  Then,  too,  some  of  the 
dogs  that  were  annoying  to  the  congregations  were  undoubtedly 
taken  into  the  meetinghouses  to  help  keep  their  owners'  feet 
warm.  However,  between  the  morning  and  the  afternoon 
meetings,  fires  were  frequently  built  in  fireplaces  in  one  end  of 
the  "noonhouses"  or  horse  sheds,  where  the  people  often  went 
to  eat  their  cold  dinners.1 

The  Baptist  church  in  South  Abington,  which  was  organized 
in  1822  and  was  the  first  Baptist  church  in  the  entire  town  of 
Abington,  was  still  strongly  Calvinistic  and  exacting  in  many 
things,  but  it  was  not  narrow  or  intolerant,  and  it  had  progressed 
with  the  times.  For  one  thing,  it  had,  through  a  hard  struggle, 
come  out  strongly  against  slavery.  Something  of  the  advance 
that  this  showed  in  the  application  of  Christian  principles  is 
indicated  by  the  fact  that  a  century  earlier  the  minister  for  the 

1  Alice  Morse  Earle,  The  Sabbath  in  Puritan  New  England  (New  York: 
Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  1891),  pp.  90  ff. 


A  CHILD  OF  NEW  ENGLAND  233 

first  church  established  in  the  town  of  Abington  recorded  the 
admission  of  "his  negro  man  Tony,  and  his  negro  woman  Flora," 
as  members  of  his  church.  It  is  also  to  be  remembered  that  it 
was  largely  New  England,  and  especially  Boston,  capital  that 
financed  and  fostered  the  African  slave  trade,  although  slave- 
holding  was  not  sufficiently  profitable  in  New  England  for  it 
to  take  deep  root  there,  as  it  did  in  the  South.  Nor  was  that 
enough,  but  when  her  ships  went  back  to  Africa,  New  England 
loaded  them  with  her  vile  "New  England  rum"  to  debauch 
and  destroy  the  natives;  and  when  the  frames  of  many  of  the 
early  New  England  meetinghouses  were  raised,  that  event  was 
celebrated  with  a  liberal  quantity  of  rum,  as  it  was  to  some 
extent  in  the  case  of  the  Abington  church  just  mentioned. 

In  the  course  of  time,  various  charges  were  preferred  against 
that  apparently  slaveholding  New  England  minister,  yet  not 
for  his  having  his  negro  man  and  his  negro  woman,  but  because, 
as  it  was  averred,  he  believed  such  things  as  "  that  the  seed  of 
grace  is  implanted  in  the  soul  before  conversion,  and  there  grows 
till  it  is  ripe  for  the  new  birth";  "that  our  being  thankful  for 
mercies  received,  moves  God  to  bestow  more";  and  "that  the 
tears  of  unfeigned  repentance  [as  it  was  alleged  that  he  had 
said  in  a  sermon]  would  quench  the  fiery  stream  of  God's  wrath." 
But  a  majority  in  the  church  sustained  him,  as  against  those 
accusations,  as  they  also  did  when  he  showed  himself  unfriendly 
toward  Mr.  Whitefield,  the  revivalist. 

The  dual  character  of  church  organization  and  management 
in  New  England  is  well  shown  in  an  embroilment,  in  1806,  of 
that  Abington  church  over  the  church  music  and  the  right  to 
appoint  the  chorister.  When  there,  was  but  one  church  in  a 
community  for  everybody,  and  everybody  was  supposed  to 
attend  it,  and  all  taxpayers  were  required  to  help  support  it, 
what  in  a  broad  sense  might  be  called  the  church  was  composed 
of  two  parts.  One  of  these  was  the  "church"  proper,  which 
consisted  of  the  regular  church  members.  The  other  was  known 


234          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

as  the  "society,"  which  included  all  persons  obligated  to  help 
maintain  the  church,  or,  after  taxation  for  church  purposes  was 
abolished,  the  society  was  commonly  composed  either  of  the 
members  of  the  congregation  or  of  the  financial  supporters  of  the 
church.  This  double  form  of  organization  was  adopted  by 
the  churches  generally  in  New  England;  and  each,  the  church 
and  the  society,  was  recognized  as  having  certain  specific  rights; 
the  one,  pertaining  principally  to  things  spiritual;  the  other, 
chiefly  to  business  matters.  The  society  of  the  Abington  church 
at  the  time  mentioned  was  described  as  including  all  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Abington  and  several  families  from 
another  town.  The  trouble  in  the  church  arose  over  the  ques- 
tion of  whether  the  movement  in  the  church  music  should  be  a 
little  faster  or  a  little  slower.  That  brought  up  the  question  of 
the  right  to  appoint  the  chorister.  The  church  proper  claimed 
the  right;  and  so  did  the  society,  or  town.  Then,  on  a  certain 
Sabbath,  the  singers  took  seats  in  two  divisions,  one  with  a 
chorister  appointed  by  the  church  and  the  other  with  one  chosen 
by  the  town.  A  hymn  was  read  to  be  sung.  The  two  choristers 
named  different  tunes,  and  the  hymn  was  sung  to  both  tunes  at 
once.  The  immediate  effect  was  what  might  be  expected. 
Afterward  there  was  a  compromise,  the  church  being  accorded 
the  right  to  name  the  chorister,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the 
society. 

At  a  town  meeting  the  men  voted,  in  1775,  "that  it  is  an 
indecent  way,  that  the  female  sex  do  sit  in  their  hats  and  bonnets 
to  worship  God  in  his  house;  and  offensive  to  many  of  the  good 
people  of  this  town."  This  seems  plain  enough,  but  just  what 
was  meant  by  it  is  rendered  a  bit  uncertain  by  the  suggestion 
that  was  made,  fifty  years  later,  that,  prior  to  the  action  of  the 
town  meeting,  the  women  as  well  as  the  men  had  sat  with 
uncovered  heads  in  the  meetinghouse. 

A  more  appropriate  subject  for  town  regulation  was  that 
decided  by  a  vote,  in  1793,  "that  all  persons  that  suffer  their 


A  CHILD  OF  NEW  ENGLAND  235 

dog  or  dogs  to  go  to  meeting,  at  the  meetinghouse,  when  the 
people  assemble  for  public  worship,  shall  pay  the  same  fine  as 
is  provided  for  breach  of  the  Sabbath." 

In  the  Baptist  church,  the  first  instrumental  music  was 
obtained  from  two  violins  and  a  bass  viol.  A  pipe  organ  was 
placed  in  the  gallery  in  1847. 

The  first  schoolhouse  in  the  town  of  Abington  was  built, 
near  the  first  meetinghouse,  in  1732,  and  for  twenty- three  years 
it  was  the  only  schoolhouse  in  the  town.  On  account  of  the 
large  area  of  the  town  and  the  consequent  difficulty  for  children 
living  in  the  more  remote  parts  of  it  to  go  so  far  to  school,  or  to 
equalize  the  distance  which  all  of  the  children  must  go  in  order 
to  attend  the  school,  the  school  was  occasionally  held  in  private 
houses  in  different  parts  of  the  town,  alternately.  Subse- 
quently the  town  was  divided  into  school  districts,  for  the 
various  settlements,  or  according  to  the  parishes. 

In  one  hundred  years,  or  altogether  up  to  1835,  thirty 
natives  of  the  town  of  Abington  received  collegiate  educations, 
eleven  of  them  at  Harvard,  and  twelve  at  Brown  University; 
the  others,  at  different  colleges.  Of  the  total  number,  thirteen 
became  ministers  of  the  gospel. 

About  1769,  the  casting  of  bells  for  meetinghouses  was  be- 
gun in  that  part  of  the  town  which  became  South  Abington;  a 
little  later  the  manufacture  of  cut  nails  and  tacks  was  under- 
taken; and  during  the  Revolutionary  War  cannon  and  cannon 
balls  were  made  there.  The  nails  and  tacks  were  made  at  first 
by  cutting,  with  lever  shears,  old  iron  hoops  and  afterward 
rolled  iron  plates  into  angular  points,  which  were  one  by  one 
taken  up  by  hand,  put  into  an  ordinary  vise,  and  headed  with 
a  hammer,  one  person  being  able  to  make  about  a  thousand 
nails  or  tacks  in  a  day. 

The  situation  of  the  town  was,  on  the  whole,  considered 
quite  favorable  to  health,  although  epidemic  diseases  occasion- 
ally made  their  appearance.  For  example,  in  1751-52 


236         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

was  called  the  "throat-distemper"  prevailed,  which  carried  off 
many  of  the  inhabitants,  particularly  children.  Then,  in  the 
fall  of  1805,  there  broke  out  and  soon  spread  through  the  town 
a  "malignant  typhus  fever  which,"  it  was  said,  "in  a  large, 
crowded  city  might  have  been  yellow  fever."  There  were 
numerous  cases  of  it,  and  many  deaths.  In  some  instances  it 
affected  whole  families.  "What  its  remote  or  predisposing 
causes  were,  like  the  causes  of  most  epidemics,"  the  chronicler 
declares,  "was  a  mystery,  which  baffled  investigation.  At  the 
time  it  was  thought  by  some  to  have  had  its  origin  in  the  exhala- 
tions of  a  pond,  in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  near  which  the 
fever  began."  Such  was  some  of  the  medical  science  of  that  day. 

Hints  that,  after  the  bears  and  the  wolves  had  been  killed 
off  or  driven  away,  there  remained  smaller  animals  and  pests 
which  it  was  desired  to  exterminate,  are  to  be  found  in  several 
votes  of  the  town;  as  when  it  voted  in  1716  "that  every  man 
sixteen  years  old  and  upwards,  shall  kill  twelve  blackbirds,  or 
pay  two  shillings  to  the  town  charge";  while  in  1737  it  was 
voted  "that  any  person  that  shall  kill  any  grown  wildcat  this 
year,  within  our  town,  shall  have  twenty  shillings";  and  in 
1753  it  was  voted  "that  the  foxes  shall  be  killed,  and  he  that 
kills  them  shall  have  two  shillings  per  head,  for  grown  ones."1 

Such,  with  somewhat  of  a  historical  and  explanatory  back- 
ground, is  a  partial  description  of  the  times  and  of  the  place  in 
which  Susan  Esther  Colver  was  born,  and  of  the  general  locality 
and  conditions  in  New  England  where  her  maternal  ancestors 
lived,  of  whom  one,  Captain  William  Reed,  son  of  the  William 
and  Esther  Reed  previously  mentioned,  was  the  first  town  clerk 
of  the  town  of  Abington,  holding  that  office  for  the  years  from 
1713  to  1718,  inclusive. 

However,  South  Abington  was  Susan  Esther's  home  for  less 
than  two  years.  Her  father's  acceptance  of  a  call  to  Andover, 

1  Aaron  Hobart,  An  Historical  Sketch  of  Abington,  Plymouth  County, 
Massachusetts,  pp.  27  ff.,  40,  48,  62,  83  ff.,  130  ff. 


A  CHILD  OF  NEW  ENGLAND  237 

Massachusetts,  took  the  family  there  late  in  the  summer  of 
1861.  Perhaps  they  went  by  team;  one  day  to  Boston,  and 
the  next  day  the  remaining  twenty-odd  miles  north  to  Andover. 
The  road  from  South  Abington  to  Boston  was  through  a  some- 
what rough,  barren  country.  Along  it  were  built  many  frame 
farmhouses  in  quaint  colonial  style,  with  more  or  less  of  orna- 
mental trimming,  while  here  and  there  enough  houses  were 
grouped  together  to  form  hamlets  or  villages.  Still,  there  was 
much  vacant  or  pasture  land  to  be  seen,  interspersed  with  many 
wood  lots.  The  fences,  except  around  the  houses,  were  gener- 
ally of  split  rails  or  of  stones  gathered  off  the  land.  To  an 
imaginative  mind  the  landscape  easily  suggested  earlier  days 
when  this  was  a  natural  abode  of  the  Indian,  the  bear,  and  the 
wolf,  and  one  or  the  other  of  them  might  appear  almost  any- 
where at  any  time.  From  Boston  north,  the  first  part  of  the 
way  lay  through  a  number  of  important  villages,  and  then 
through  a  wilder  region,  between  ragged  hills,  weighted  time 
and  again  with  huge  bowlders,  or  made  picturesque  with  rocky 
facings,  culminating  finally,  in  the  vicinity  of  Andover,  in  some 
especially  interesting,  very  ancient  geological  formations  and 
much  later  remains  of  glacial  action. 

The  settlement  of  Andover  dates  back  to  about  the  middle 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  for  generations  strong,  uncom- 
promising Puritanism  held  sway  among  the  people.  Since  the 
latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  more  so  from  the 
early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  Andover  has  been  best 
known  for  its  educational  institutions,  particularly  in  the 
nineteenth  century  for  being  the  seat  of  the  Andover  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  until  that  was  removed  to  Cambridge  and 
annexed  to  Harvard  University,  in  1908. 

The  Colvers  lived  in  what  is  now  known  as  the  old  Abbot 
house,  so  called  after  one  of  the  historic  families  of  Andover. 
The  house  was  on  High  Street,  a  block  or  a  little  more  north  of 
the  Baptist  church  and  of  the  business  center  of  the  village. 


238  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

It  was  on  the  edge  or  top  of  a  hill,  on  the  west  side  of  the  street, 
and  close  to  the  latter.  In  outward  appearance  it  strikingly 
resembled  the  Reed  house,  in  South  Abington,  in  which  Susan 
Esther  was  born.  West  and  south  of  the  house  there  was  a 
small  garden  plot,  and  west  of  that  there  was  quite  a  steep 
descent  of  several  hundred  feet  into  a  valley,  through  which 
flowed  the  Shawsheen  River  from  the  southwest  to  the  north- 
east. The  view  from  the  rear  or  west  windows  of  the  house,  as 
also  from  the  yard  back  of  the  house,  was  a  fine  one  to  look  upon, 
embracing  the  declivity  of  the  hillside,  the  fairly  wide  valley 
below  with  its  river,  and,  beyond  all  that,  a  gently  rising,  some- 
what rocky,  yet  distinctly  picturesque  landscape.  Clearly,  it 
was  a  pleasant  place  in  which  to  live,  taking  into  account  the 
physical,  moral,  and  intellectual  environments. 

Susan  Esther,  in  her  childish  way,  found  it  delightful.  She 
had  plenty  of  room  out  of  doors  in  the  yard,  in  good  air,  and 
with  wholesome  surroundings  in  which  to  play,  while  in  the 
spring,  summer,  and  autumn  she  spent  a  great  deal  of  tune  in 
the  garden  with  her  father,  as  he  planted,  cultivated,  and  gath- 
ered the  vegetables  needed  by  the  family.  She  also  made  many 
trips  with  him  to  the  Baptist  church,  on  week  days  as  well  as  on 
Sundays.  It  was  at  Andover  that  she  began  to  learn  con- 
sciously something  about  going  to  church,  although  she  had 
been  taken  to  church  at  South  Abington.  In  those  days  parents 
took  their  little  children,  even  infants,  with  them  to  church; 
and  Mr.  Colver  would  not  follow  a  different  course  in  this 
respect  with  his  child. 

As  a  child,  she  looked  serious  beyond  her  years,  whereas,  in 
her  later  life,  she  looked  like,  and  had  the  activity  of,  a  person 
ten  or  fifteen  years  younger  than  she  was.  As  a  child,  too,  she 
appeared  to  be  the  embodiment  of  good  health.  With  that  she 
seemed  to  have  inherited  a  good  mind,  and  a  good  disposition. 
She  had  a  full  face,  with  regular  features,  a  fair  complexion, 
soft  brown  hair,  and  beautiful  large,  wide-open,  honest,  trustful, 


A  CHILD  OF  NEW  ENGLAND  239 

yet  inquisitive  brown  eyes.  She  was  quite  an  ideal  little  miss, 
who  could  on  occasion  calmly  fold  her  hands  and  wait  patiently 
for  what  might  come  next.  In  other  words,  she  was  from  the 
first  taught  self-control.  She  was  never  babied.  So  strong  were 
her  characteristics  as  a  child  that  Deacon  Charles  N.  L.  Stone, 
of  Andover,  in  1919  remembered  her  as  a  "bright"  child,  "lady- 
like" both  in  her  manner  and  in  her  speech,  while  what  she  used 
to  say  he  thought  was  both  "cute"  and  "scholarly,"  for  one 
of  her  age. 

Two  things  tended  to  produce  these  characteristics.  First 
of  all,  there  was  the  natural  inclination  to  imitation  which 
inheres  in  children  and  often  becomes  peculiarly  noticeable 
where  there  is  an  only  child  that  has  but  little  association  with 
any  other  child  or  children,  but  is  mostly  with  its  parents,  which 
leads  the  child  to  adopt  as  much  as  it  can  of  its  parents'  ways 
of  thinking,  acting,  and  speaking.  Besides  that,  there  was,  in 
Susan  Esther's  case,  the  strong,  self-possessed,  and  careful 
training  by  her  father,  who  did  not  believe  in  "baby  talk"  nor 
in  foolish  actions,  although  he  could  enter  into  the  spirit  of  his 
child,  and  play  with  her,  and  be  to  her  all  of  the  companion  that 
she  apparently  desired.  As  another  example  of  his  attitude  in 
this  respect,  a  woman  who  was  once  one  of  his  parishioners 
says  that,  on  a  certain  occasion,  he  called  at  their  house  and 
found  her  suffering  from  a  very  severe  headache  and  her  little 
boy  adding  greatly  to  it.  Mr.  Colver  saw  what  ought  to  be 
done  and  took  charge  of  the  child  for  a  while,  so  that  its 
mother  could  get  needed  rest  and  relief.  But  to  quiet  and 
control  the  child,  which  he  succeeded  in  doing,  he  reasoned  with 
it  and  appealed  to  its  better  nature,  as  by  saying  to  it,  in  a 
calm,  effective  manner,  "You  are  not  a  baby,  but  a  little  man," 
and  suggesting  corresponding  action. 

With  Susan  Esther,  the  molding  and  principal  determining 
influences  of  her  home  life  emanated  almost  entirely  from  her 
father,  on  account  of  the  breaking  down  of  her  mother's  health 


240          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

to  such  an  extent  that,  although  her  mother  could  still  attend 
church  and  do  many  things,  even  to  singing  sometimes  in  the 
choir,  occasionally  teaching  a  class  in  the  Sunday  school,  or  to 
going  frequently  with  Mr.  Colver  when  he  went  to  make  pas- 
toral calls  or  away  to  preach,  she  had  to  be  relieved  as  much  as 
possible  of  all  of  the  more  trying  duties  of  the  household.  This 
caused  Mr.  Colver  early  to  assume  much  of  the  care  and  most 
of  the  home  training  and  instruction  of  Susan  Esther,  who  was 
deep  in  his  fatherly  affections,  and  whom  he  wished  to  see 
developed  into  the  best  and  most  useful  womanhood  possible 
for  her.  So  those  two,  father  and  daughter,  became,  and  until 
the  end  of  the  father's  life  remained,  close  companions,  a 
companionship  which  was  most  marked  in  the  earlier  life  of 
the  daughter,  yet  was  always  distinctive  of  their  relationship. 


CHAPTER  II 

GIRLHOOD  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN 

In  the  autumn  of  1863,  when  Susan  Esther  was  four  years 
old,  the  family  moved  from  Andover,  Massachusetts,  to  Elgin, 
Illinois.  It  was  a  great  experience  for  her,  child  though  she 
was.  She  had  inherited  from  her  Colver  ancestors  an  inquir- 
ing and  somewhat  adventure-loving  turn  of  mind;  and  this  was 
her  first  great  adventure  of  travel  and  out  into  the  world.  It 
was  all  new  to  her.  She  watched  with  intense  interest  every- 
thing that  came  within  her  view  and  remembered  some  of  it  for  a 
long  while. 

Illinois  was  in  general  appearance  quite  different  from 
Massachusetts.  For  the  most  part,  it  was  a  rolling  prairie, 
easy  of  cultivation,  and  very  fertile.  It  was  especially  adapted 
to  the  raising  of  corn,  but  wheat  also  did  well.  Later,  the 
northernmost  part  of  the  state  was  devoted  largely  to  dairying, 
and  the  southern  to  the  production  of  fruits  and  berries.  Besides 
its  surface  values,  it  was  underlaid  with  extensive  coal  fields. 

The  population  of  Illinois  in  1863  was  not  far  from  two 
millions,  the  census  of  1860  having  given  it  as  1,711,951.  This 
was  largely  from  New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio, 
Indiana,  and  other  states,  as  well  as  from  European  countries. 
Of  the  foreign-born,  the  Germans  led  in  numbers,  with  130,804 
in  1860,  while  the  Irish  were  second,  with  87,573.  The  New 
Englanders  settled  largely  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state 
had  much  to  do  with  its  educational  and  religious  development, 
and  also  were  generally  supporters  of  the  temperance  and  of 
the  antislavery  movements  of  the  times.  The  beauty  of  the 
New  England  character,  it  was  said  by  an  observing  traveler 

241 


242          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

through  Illinois,  was  not  seen  at  its  best  until  it  ripened  a  while 
in  the  West.  It  was  true  that  there  was  more  wealth,  more 
culture,  and  more  social  refinement  in  the  East;  but  there  was 
more  individuality,  more  freedom  from  conventional  restraint, 
more  independence  in  manners  and  opinions,  more  native 
originality — more  of  what  is  commonly  called  character,  in 
the  West. 

No  longer  was  Illinois  to  be  counted  as  a  frontier  state. 
The  frontier  was  somewhere  farther  west  and  northwest.  Aside 
from  the  fact  that  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  still 
had  about  a  million  acres  of  unimproved  land  for  sale,  the  new- 
comers who  wanted  farms  had  to  buy  out  the  earlier  settlers,  a 
course  which  they  had  been  pursuing  for  several  years,  whereby 
the  pioneers  were  being  superseded  and  freed  to  join  in  the 
migration  westward,  giving  to  the  state  a  more  substantial  class 
of  citizens  for  its  upbuilding. 

The  farmers  of  Illinois,  as  a  whole,  prospered  during  the 
Civil  War,  and  at  the  same  time  by  what  they  raised  they  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  support  of  the  nation.  Such  a  network 
of  railroads  had  been  previously  spread  over  the  state  that  it 
was  quite  easy  for  the  farmers  to  get  their  produce  to  market. 
In  addition  to  that,  many  of  them  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  good 
transportation  by  water,  over  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal, 
and  on  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi  rivers  in  particular. 

Laborers,  skilled  and  unskilled,  did  not  fare  so  well.  Wages 
were  low  while  the  cost  of  living  was  high.  Before  the  war, 
common  labor  was  paid  but  about  a  dollar  or  a  dollar  and  some 
cents  a  day.  By  the  end  of  1863  wages  in  general  had  been 
raised  from  15  to  100  per  cent, but  the  cost  of  living  had  increased 
from  50  to  300  per  cent.  The  rents  asked  for  the  cheapest  kind 
of  houses  were  often  exorbitant,  because  the  demand  for  houses 
exceeded  the  supply,  owing  to  the  rapid  increase  in  population. 
Then  certain  classes  of  workers  began  to  form  unions,  and  to 
strike,  in  order  to  secure  higher  wages  and  better  working  con' 


GIRLHOOD  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  243 

ditions,  especially  to  obtain  an  eight-hour  day,  instead  of  having 
to  work  ten  hours  or  longer. 

Colored  persons,  free  or  refugee,  were  not  wanted  in  Illinois 
by  the  majority  of  its  people.  To  keep  them  out,  a  law  was 
passed  in  1853  which  provided  a  heavy  fine  for  a  colored  person, 
whether  a  free  one  or  not,  to  enter  the  state,  and  that,  if  the  fine 
was  not  paid,  the  person  should  be  sold  at  auction  to  the  highest 
bidder  for  the  shortest  term  of  service.  That  law  was  enforced 
with  considerable  strictness  for  upward  of  nine  years,  and  in 
some  instances  in  1863.  Yet  there  were  in  1860  over  7,600 
colored  persons  in  the  state,  and  by  1863  the  number  was 
increased  by  nearly  three  times  as  many  more  that  were  sent 
in  as  contrabands  of  war  until  vigorous  protests  caused  the 
stream  to  be  deflected  elsewhere. 

A  foreign  writer,  after  visiting  Illinois,  which  he  called  "the 
garden  state,"  said:  "There  are  few  countries  where  the  literary 

and  religious  privileges  are  greater District  schools  of 

good  character  are  all  over  the  country,  in  which  portions  of 
Scripture  are  read,  the  Lord's  Prayer  repeated  by  the  scholars, 
and  hymns  sung  with  the  teacher.  Schools  and  seminaries  of 
higher  character  are  found  in  every  town,  and  young  ladies' 
colleges,  where  all  the  higher  branches  of  education  are  taught, 

are  supported  in  the  cities  by  the  different  denominations 

The  state  has  expended  largely  on  schools  for  the  young,  and  a 
thorough  education  is  at  a  premium  in  the  country."1 

The  state  was  already  well  supplied  with  colleges  by  1863. 
A  large  number  of  them  had  been  incorporated,  hi  the  preceding 
fifteen  years  especially,  some  of  them  with  the  more  pretentious 
name  of  university.  Almost  every  important  city  or  town  in 
the  state  seemed  to  want  one.  Perhaps  a  third  of  the  total 
number  incorporated  were  developed,  though  only  through 
many  hardships.  A  majority  of  those  were  founded  and  fos- 
tered under  denominational  auspices. 

1  Rev.  James  Shaw,  Twelve  Years  in  America  (London,  Dublin,  Chicago, 
1867),  pp.  83-84. 


244          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

The  scene  at  Elgin,  Illinois,  in  1863,  was  that  of  a  thriving 
Western  or  Middle- Western  city  of  about  3,500  or  4,000  popu- 
lation, situated  on  the  banks  of  an  attractive  stream — in  this 
case  the  beautiful  Fox  River.  On  account  of  the  nature  of  its 
location,  many  people  called  it  the  "  Bluff  City."  It  had  its 
stores,  a  woolen-mill,  a  couple  of  gristmills,  and  some  other 
manufacturing  establishments.  It  had  nine  schools,  with  a  total 
average  attendance  of  about  450  pupils.  It  had  also  an  academy 
and  a  seminary.  In  the  surrounding  country  considerable  milk 
was  produced,  which  was  shipped  to  Chicago. 

These  conditions  in  state  and  city  contributed  to  the  forma- 
tion of  the  environment  into  which  Susan  Esther  was  taken  to 
live,  which  had  its  educational  effect  on  her.  It  was  also  of 
educational  value  to  her  that,  during  her  formative  years,  her 
home  was  several  times  changed,  from  one  city  or  village  to 
another  of  a  somewhat  different  character,  and  with  different 
children  and  grown  persons  for  her  to  come  into  contact  with 
at  church,  at  Sunday  school,  and  later  at  day  school,  as  well  as, 
to  an  extent,  in  some  of  their  homes. 

What  may  be  called  the  general  atmosphere  of  Elgin  was 
quite  different  from  that  of  New  England,  although  the  char- 
acter of  Elgin  was  determined  largely  by  people  from  New 
England  together  with  other  settlers  who  joined  with  them  in 
their  views.  In  Elgin  everything  was  yet  comparatively  new. 
The  people  were  still  engrossed  with  trying  to  establish  them- 
selves better  in  their  various  undertakings  of  home-building, 
farming,  dairying,  and  business,  while  in  New  England  that 
stage  of  intensive  struggle  had  been  passed  by  a  century  or  more. 
Furthermore,  most  of  the  people  in  Elgin  being  comparatively 
newcomers,  there  was  more  of  that  freedom  and  heartiness  of 
association  and  expression  which  are  characteristic  of  a  new 
country.  Even  the  children  felt  and  showed  a  more  democratic 
spirit  in  their  association,  actions,  and  speech  than  did  those 
in  the  East.  However,  Susan  Esther  was  always  very  carefully 


GIRLHOOD  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  245 

guarded,  wherever  she  was,  with  reference  to  those  with  whom 
she  might  play  or  associate  freely.  Besides,  she  was  still  in 
many  respects  the  little  Puritan  maiden  of  Andover  and  New 
England,  if  no  longer  in  New  England;  and  it  must  take  time 
before  she  would  show  much  effect  of  the  change  of  her  sur- 
roundings, although  children  are  as  a  rule  by  nature  very 
democratic  and  easily  fall  into  democratic  ways. 

Mr.  Colver  bought  a  comfortable  brick  house  and  a  garden 
plot  for  their  home  in  Elgin.  The  location  was  a  desirable  one 
in  that  it  was  close  to  the  Baptist  church,  out  of  the  business 
district,  and  yet  not  far  from  it.  It  did  not  command  such  a 
fine  view  as  their  home  in  Andover  did,  yet  it  was  perhaps,  on 
the  whole,  just  as  pleasant  a  place  in  which  to  live. 

Susan  Esther's  life  in  Elgin  was  largely  one  of  play.  She 
was  not  in  any  sense  a  precocious  child,  but  just  a  normal, 
healthy  little  girl,  full  of  promise,  or,  as  some  Elgin  people  have 
described  her,  "very  keen,"  "bright,"  "talented."  The  per- 
manent breaking  down,  in  Massachusetts,  of  her  mother's 
health,  revealing  a  somewhat  weak  nervous  system,  made  both 
her  mother  and  her  father  feel  that  it  was  better  neither  to  send 
Susan  Esther  to  school  nor  to  have  her  studying  very  much  at 
home  too  soon,  but  first  to  let  her  grow  to  be  as  strong  as 
possible.  So,  with  skilful  parental  guidance  and  such  training 
in  conduct  and  for  character-building  as  was  deemed  necessary, 
she  was  left  for  a  while  to  educate  herself  primarily  through  play. 
Nor  was  she  overwhelmed  with  any  great  number  or  changing 
variety  of  toys;  but  she  was  further  wisely  left  almost  entirely 
to  her  own  devices,  not  only  to  determine  what  she  should  play, 
but  also  to  create  her  own  playthings,  and  thereby  to  develop 
her  imagination,  her  ingenuity,  and  her  self-reliance,  a  course 
which  gives  vastly  more  of  satisfaction  and  of  real  benefit  to 
children  than  does  the  opposite  method  of  surrounding  them  with 
large  quantities  of  manufactured  and  intricate  articles,  no  matter 
how  much  temporary  enjoyment  the  latter  may  seem  to  afford. 


246         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Mr.  Colver  was  a  very  strict  though  judicious  disciplin- 
arian, who  acted  not  on  impulse,  but  from  carefully  considered 
reasons.  He  looked  upon  life  as  being  given  for  a  divine  pur- 
pose and  as  being  fundamentally  a  serious  thing,  even  for 
children,  who  ought  to  be  reared  accordingly.  Quite  a  char- 
acteristic illustration  of  these  points  is  furnished  by  an  incident 
related  by  an  Elgin  woman.  At  the  time  referred  to,  she  was  a 
light-hearted  girl,  eight  or  nine  years  old,  and  Mr.  Colver  was 
making  a  pastoral  visit  at  her  father's  house.  Something  led 
Mr.  Colver,  appropriately  enough,  to  ask  her  the  question: 
"When  is  a  rose  perfect?"  She  giggled  and  tried  to  evade 
answering.  But  Mr.  Colver  was  determined,  and  gently  yet 
firmly  insisted  on  an  answer;  and  when  she  afterward  asked 
her  mother,  who  was  present  on  the  occasion,  why  she  did  not 
help  her  out,  her  mother  replied  that  she  felt  that  it  would  do 
no  harm  for  her  to  have  to  do  a  little  serious  thinking  once. 
What  Mr.  Colver  sought  was  to  develop  a  thought  that  might 
be  beneficial,  as  the  long  and  distinct  remembrance  of  the 
conversation  shows  that  it  proved  to  be,  for  he  kindly  and 
patiently  aided  the  girl  to  formulate  something  of  the  sort  of 
answer  that  he  desired,  which,  as  it  is  recalled,  was  to  the  effect 
that  "a  rose  is  perfect,  not  merely  when  its  petals  are  per- 
fect, but  when  it  accomplishes  the  purpose  for  which  it  was 
designed" — a  principle  applicable  to  persons  as  well  as  to  flowers. 
But  after  all  this  has  been  said  about  Susan  Esther's  char- 
acter, home  life,  and  childhood  discipline,  the  mistake  should 
not  be  made  of  thinking  of  her  as  altogether  staid  and  proper. 
She  was  not,  just  as  most  of  the  children  of  New  England  in 
its  most  Puritanical  days  were  not.  Even  also  as  those  children 
found  it  difficult  to  sit  quietly  and  reverently  through  all  of  the 
long  and  for  them  often  tedious  services  which  they  were 
required  to  attend  every  Sunday,  and  as  not  only  the  boys 
frequently,  but  the  girls  sometimes  as  well,  by  trying  to  enter- 
tain themselves  disturbed  the  congregations,  so  once,  while  her 


GIRLHOOD  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  247 

father  was  preaching,  though  he  never  preached  as  long  as  did 
the  ministers  in  earlier  times,  Susan  Esther  startled  him  by 
dropping  on  the  floor  a  button  with  which  she  had  begun 
quietly  playing.  A  little  different  episode  of  much  the  same 
kind  is  recalled  by  Mrs.  Amelia  M.  Vail,  who  for  several  years 
lived  in  Mr.  Colver's  family,  while  she  attended  the  Elgin 
Academy.  She  says  that  "Susan  Esther  was  very  fond  of 
pretty  things,  and,  like  most  children,  loved  jewelry.  She  liked 
to  sit  and  string  beads,  and  to  make  of  them  rings  and  earrings 
for  herself.  One  Sunday,  she  slipped  her  earrings  into  her 
pocket,  and  in  church  hung  them  over  her  ears,  much  to  the 
astonishment  of  her  father,  and  perhaps  of  some  others,  who 
happened  to  notice  it." 

"  She  saw  and  said  funny  things,"  is  another  report  of  her. 

The  children  of  Elgin,  and  perhaps  the  older  people  who 
knew  her,  generally  called  her  "  Susie."  But  one  woman,  who 
was  also  then  a  child,  says:  "I  used  to  see  her  sitting  in  the 
sunshine  on  the  steps  of  her  father's  house.  A  sweet  and 
demure  little  maiden  she  was,  bright  and  merry,  too.  We  called 
her 'Birdie  Colver.'" 

According  to  Mrs.  Vail,  Susan  Esther  played  out  of  doors 
when  possible.  She  was  her  father's  almost  constant  com- 
panion when  he  was  at  home,  and  when  he  went  away  he 
usually  took  her  and  her  mother  with  him.  They  quite  often 
spent  the  day,  or  now  and  then  several  days,  visiting  here  and 
there  among  the  members  of  the  church  who  lived  in  the  country. 
Then,  too,  when  he  went  to  preach  in  the  country,  as  he  did  on 
Sunday  afternoons  much  of  the  time,  often  going  as  far  as 
twenty-five  miles  from  Elgin,  he  would  take  Mrs.  Colver  and 
Susan  Esther  with  him,  if  the  weather  was  pleasant.  Mrs.  Vail 
says  that  she  sometimes  tried  to  coax  Susan  Esther  to  stay  with 
her,  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Colver  went  visiting,  but  that  her 
coaxing  was  always  unsuccessful.  Nor  did  Susan  Esther  ever 
claim  from  her  any  service  such  as  children  are  apt  to  ask  of 


248  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

those  residing  in  the  family  and  helping  with  the  work.  Again, 
Mrs.  Vail  says  that  while  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Colver  did  not  wish 
Susan  Esther  to  begin  regular  studying  too  soon,  she  was 
learning  the  scales  and  little  tunes  from  her  father;  and  while 
she  did  not  go  to  day  school  in  Elgin,  she  went  to  Sunday  school 
regularly  and  learned  her  Sunday-school  lessons.  There  is  also 
evidence  that  she  in  some  way  got  a  good  start  at  home  in 
reading,  spelling,  and  perhaps  other  subjects. 

There  were  several  reasons  why  she  always  wanted  to  go  on 
their  trips  with  her  parents.  One  was  the  undoubtedly  strong 
desire  that  she  had  to  be  with  them,  and  with  her  father  espe- 
cially. Then,  every  trip  held  out  a  promise  of  a  certain  amount 
of  novelty  and  adventure.  Besides,  there  were  special  attrac- 
tions for  her  in  the  animals  on  the  farms;  and  in  some  cases  she 
knew  that  she  would  find  some  excellent  playmates  and  some 
splendid  opportunities  for  playing. 

One  of  the  places  to  which  she  took  special  delight  in  going 
was  Deacon  Padelford's.  There  were  there  two  girls  and  two 
boys  with  whom  to  play;  and  they  had  a  congenial,  somewhat 
older  sister,  who  is  now  Mrs.  A.  Gilbert.  Mrs.  Gilbert  says 
that,  "her  rosy  cheeks  and  sparkling  eyes  made  Susan  Esther 
look  the  picture  of  health  and  fun.  She  was  full  of  life,  fun, 
and  play.  I  do  not  know  whether  she  cared  anything  for  dolls; 
but  I  do  know  that  she  loved  to  come  out  to  the  farm  and  to 
play  with  my  sisters  and  brothers.  She  seemed  to  love  the 
farm  life,  and  nature.  She  was  very  active,  and  happy.  She 
could  run  and  romp  and  play;  and  never  seemed  to  get  tired. 
Her  father  was  proud  of  her  splendid  health.  He  sometimes 
played  with  her  and  the  other  children,  on  the  farm.  He 
entertained  her  a  great  deal.  He  used  to  lead  his  horse  several 
blocks  to  water  it,  and  'Susie,'  as  we  called  her,  would  ride  on 
its  back." 

When  Susan  Esther  was  eight  years  old,  the  family  moved 
to  Mount  Carroll,  Illinois,  which  was  ninety  miles  west  of  Elgin, 


GIRLHOOD  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  249 

and  had  about  one-fourth  of  the  population  that  the  latter  had, 
but  was  even  more  picturesquely  located,  being  situated  on  a 
hill  around  which,  on  a  part  of  three  sides,  there  flowed  a  winding 
creek  through  what  in  places  might  be  termed  a  ravine,  a  valley, 
or  a  gorge,  some  of  its  way  having  been  cut  through  rocky 
strata  leaving  walls  and  ledges  of  rock  delightful  to  view. 
However,  their  home  was  a  little  distance  from  these  attractions. 
For  some  time  they  lived  in  the  Mount  Carroll  Seminary  build- 
ing, which  then  contained  over  150  rooms.  The  Seminary, 
which  was  incorporated  in  1852,  three  years  before  the  free 
school  system  was  adopted  in  Illinois,  was  opened  in  1853  as  a 
general  school,  but  from  1864  it  was  limited  to  the  education 
of  girls  and  young  women,  and  subsequently  it  was  made  a 
school  for  young  women  only.  Mr.  Colver  became  one  of  its 
most  highly  valued  teachers,  and  Susan  Esther  began  going  to 
school  there.  But  as  good  a  place  as  it  was  for  her  to  go  to 
school,  it  was  not  such  an  ideal  one  for  so  young  a  girl  to  live  in, 
and  she  was  glad  when,  in  the  course  of  time,  her  father  bought 
a  small  brick  house  with  plenty  of  ground  for  a  garden,  not  very 
far  from  the  Seminary,  and  they  thereafter  had  their  own  home 
and  garden. 

There  was  yet  plenty  of  play  for  her,  and  her  father  still 
very  often  joined  with  her  in  it.  But  it  was  henceforth  subor- 
dinated to  her  going  to  school  and  any  needed  studying  at  home. 
Each  year  also  she  was  called  on  to  help  a  little  more  with 
the  housework,  according  to  what  she  was  able  to  do  without 
injury  to  herself  or  to  her  school  work.  She  also  assisted  her 
father  more  or  less  in  the  garden,  by  pulling  weeds  and  help- 
ing to  gather  the  vegetables  as  they  were  wanted  for  the  table, 
or  when  it  was  time  to  harvest  them. 

A  woman  who  had  been  a  playmate  of  Susan  Esther's  at 
Mount  Carroll,  says  that  "  the  home  life  of  Mr.  Colver  and  his 
family  was  ideal.  He  and  Susan  Esther  were  good  comrades. 
She  went  to  him  with  all  of  her  little  troubles,  which  seemed 


250          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

strange  to  me  because  I  went  to  my  mother  with  mine. 
Mr.  Colver  always  saw  that  Susan  Esther  had  her  lessons  pre- 
pared before  she  went  to  school  in  the  morning.  They  had  a 
piano,  and  she  took  music  lessons.  She  had  a  sled  with  which 
we  went  coasting  at  noon,  in  winter,  usually  just  the  two  of  us. 
She  enjoyed  that  kind  of  play.  I  feel  quite  sure  that  the  sled  was 
made  by  Mr.  Colver.  It  was  a  good  running  one.  I  lived  about 
a  mile  out  of  town,  and  Susan  Esther  often  went  home  with  me 
after  school,  and  would  be  with  me  in  the  garden,  and  help  me 
to  do  the  evening  chores.  But  she  always  returned  to  her  own 
home  before  dark.  To  show  how  Mr.  Colver  sometimes  entered 
into  her  play  with  her,  I  remember  that  once,  when  there  had 
been  a  small  circus  in  town,  in  a  vacant  field  opposite  Mr. 
Colver's  house,  after  the  circus  had  gone  he  ran  around  the  ring 
with  Susan  Esther,  for  her  enjoyment.  At  another  time,  one 
or  the  other  of  them  arranged  a  string  for  reins,  while  she  and  a 
playmate  became  his  'horses/  which  he  drove  up  to  town,  telling 
a  man  as  they  passed  him:  'This  is  my  team.'  ' 

These  incidents  in  Susan  Esther's  life  at  Mount  Carroll 
show  a  correspondence  in  character  with  those  of  the  latter 
portion  at  least  of  her  life  in  Elgin.  They  present  her  in  a 
somewhat  different  light  from  that  in  which  she  appeared  in 
the  East.  Still,  the  two  views  are  not  contradictory,  but  evolu- 
tionary. Her  more  energetic  and  self-assertive  life  in  Illinois 
was  but  the  natural  expression  of  child  life  as  it  manifests  itself 
from  about  six  or  eight  years  of  age  to  that  of  eleven  or  twelve, 
when  a  child  generally  has  about  the  best  health  and  exhibits 
the  greatest  and  most  varied  activity  and  freedom  from  fatigue, 
delighting  particularly  in  vigorous  play  out  of  doors. 

In  1871,  when  she  was  going  on  twelve  years  of  age,  the 
family  moved  to  New  Lisbon,  Wisconsin,  a  village  of  nearly 
the  same  size  as,  and  approximately  125  miles  north  of,  Mount 
Carroll,  and  seventy  miles  northwest  of  Madison.  It,  too,  was 
a  pleasant  place  in  which  to  live,  being  located  on  high  rolling 


GIRLHOOD  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  251 

ground  and  having  many  large  and  beautiful  shade  trees.  It 
had  its  stores,  post-office,  shops,  grist-  and  sawmill,  local  news- 
paper, churches — of  which  the  strongest  was  the  Baptist  church — 
and  good  public  schools. 

The  public  school  system  of  Wisconsin,  like  that  of  Illinois 
and  of  other  northern  states,  is  traceable  largely,  in  its  American 
origin,  to  New  England  and  to  the  influence  of  the  New  Eng- 
landers  who  migrated  westward  as  new  territory  could  be 
reached  for  settlement.  One  is  apt  to  think  of  the  legacy  of 
the  Pilgrims  and  the  Puritans  of  New  England  as  principally 
religious,  or  as  religious  and  political,  whereas  they  made  a  no 
less  important  contribution  educationally  for  the  enrichment  of 
life  and  the  perpetuation  of  a  free  government.  Their  schools 
were  originally  almost  wholly  of  a  religious  character,  and 
perhaps  largely  for  the  religious  purpose  of  enabling  those 
coming  after  them  to  read  the  Bible  and  thereby  to  learn 
its  requirements.  But  it  would  seem  not  improbable  that 
joined  thereto  there  was  some  sort  of  a  belief  in  the  need  and 
value  of  having  their  children  get  some  education  for  its  own 
sake,  and  then  of  having  all  children  do  it.1  At  any  rate,  the 
indispensability  of  a  sound  general  education  for  a  self-governing 
people  came  to  be  sufficiently  realized,  so  that  the  several  states, 
one  after  another,  established  systems  of  public  schools  and 
assumed  complete  control  of  them.  However,  the  system  devel- 
oped in  New  England  and  first  adopted  by  the  older  northern 

1  Mr.  Arthur  Lord  says,  in  The  Charles  K.  Colver  Lectures  at  Brown 
University  for  1920,  that  the  Pilgrims  had  seen  in  Holland  a  system  of 
free  public  schools,  supported  at  the  public  expense,  the  result  of  which  was 
that  there,  according  to  Motley,  every  child  went  to  school,  almost  every 
inhabitant  could  read  and  write,  the  middle  classes  were  proficient  in 
mathematics  and  the  classics,  and  could  speak  two  or  more  languages. — 
Arthur  Lord,  Plymouth  and  the  Pilgrims  (Boston  and  New  York:  Hough  ton 
Mifnin  Co.,  1920),  p.  84.  Still,  the  Hollanders  who  came  to  America 
left  it  for  the  New  Englanders,  especially  those  of  Massachusetts,  to  found 
the  American  public-school  system. 


252          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

states  to  which  New  England  people  went  in  considerable  num- 
bers was  at  best  only  partially  supported  by  the  states,  and 
preferably  in  indirect  ways,  such  as  by  the  division  among  the 
schools  of  funds  derived  from  land  grants;  sometimes  by  giving 
them  the  local  license  fees,  as,  for  example,  those  for  selling 
intoxicating  liquors;  and  sometimes  by  authorizing  lotteries. 
Beyond  that  or,  in  a  few  instances,  a  limited  and  inadequate 
general  taxation^  the  schools  were  left  to  depend  for  the  sums 
still  needed  on  private  subscriptions  and  rate  bills  apportioned 
among  those  sending  children  to  school  according  to  the 
number  of  pupils  sent,  the  bills  being  collectible  as  taxes. 
Owners  of  property  who  had  no  children  to  be  educated  strenu- 
ously insisted,  as  a  class,  that  it  would  be  very  unjust  to  tax 
them  to  maintain  schools  for  other  people's  children.  So  strong 
was  the  opposition  to  general  taxation  for  school  purposes  that 
it  took  many  years  of  hard  effort  throughout  the  country  to 
get  laws  enacted  providing  for  free  public  schools  to  be  supported 
by  the  general  taxation  of  all  taxable  property.  In  Illinois,  the 
struggle  was  long  and  hard  between  what  may  be  called  the 
holders  of  New  England  views  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state 
and  the  adherents  to  Southern  views  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
state.  The  former  finally  triumphed  in  the  school  law  passed 
in  1856.  In  Wisconsin,  the  constitution  adopted  when  the 
state  was  admitted  into  the  Union  in  1848  provided  that  the 
district  schools  should  be  free  and  without  charge  for  tuition 
to  all  children  between  the  ages  of  four  and  twenty  years. 

In  New  Lisbon,  life  for  Susan  Esther  again  began  to  take 
on  new  aspects.  First  of  all,  she  began  to  give  up  some  of  the 
kinds  of  play  which  had  before  pleased  her  very  much,  and,  so 
far  as  she  yet  played,  she  chose  the  forms  of  play  or  games 
appealing  to  a  girl  of  her  age.  She  also  began  to  take  a  larger 
view  of  the  world  about  her,  and  more  interest  in  it.  She 
attended  the  public  school,  and  showed  that  she  felt  the  impor- 
tance of  doing  it  and  of  getting  her  lessons  well.  But,  notwith- 


GIRLHOOD  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  253 

standing  these  changes,  her  father  was  still  her  chief  companion, 
and  he  adapted  himself  to  her  growing  mind  .and  requirements 
as  completely  and  satisfactorily  as  he  had  made  himself  a  good 
playmate  for  her  before.  They  seemed  to  be  almost  inseparable. 
At  the  same  time,  he  kept  a  close  supervision  of  her  studies. 
He  helped  her  with  them  as  much  as  was  needed,  but  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  do  her  the  most  good.  He  saw  to  it,  too,  that  she 
did  as  well  as  she  could.  To  that  end,  he  carefully  examined 
the  monthly  report  cards  which  she  brought  home  and  sought 
to  have  improved  anything  that  did  not  appear  to  him  to  show 
as  well  as  it  should.  He  also  looked  after  her  health,  as  of  even 
greater  importance. 

Finding  it  otherwise  difficult  to  get  a  suitable  place  in  which 
to  live,  Mr.  Colver  again  bought  a  home.  This  time  it  was  a 
frame  house  of  fair  size,  with  a  good  barn  and  several  acres  of 
land  for  cultivation.  Such  a  property  did  not  cost  so  much 
then  as  it  would  now,  while  as  owner  of  it  he  could  work  on  it 
as  he  wished,  and  afterward  either  sell  or  let  it.  This  home 
was  on  a  desirable  street,  and  not  so  far  from  the  post-office  and 
the  stores  but  that  Susan  Esther  could  easily  go  for  the  mail 
or  to  get  little  things  wanted  from  the  stores.  She  also  had  her 
small  chores  to  do  at  home,  after  school,  and  could  now  help 
considerably  more  with  the  housework. 

Nor  was  she  without  her  diversions.  She  joined  with  other 
girls  of  about  her  age  in  playing  games  at  school,  sometimes 
before  it  commenced  in  the  morning,  and  at  noon,  as  well  as 
during  the  recesses.  Among  the  girls,  too,  she  had  particular 
friends  with  whom  she  passed  many  an  enjoyable  hour  on 
Saturdays  and  at  other  times.  Occasionally  there  was  an 
entertainment  of  some  kind  given  by  the  school,  or  there  would 
be  a  lecture  or  a  concert  that  would  interest  her.  On  Sundays, 
there  was  going  to  church  and  to  Sunday  school,  which,  to  one 
trained  therein,  tended  to  give  a  pleasurable  variety  to  life, 
in  addition  to  building  up  a  stronger  character  morally  and 


254          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

spiritually.  In  the  winter  there  were  also  church  "  socials,"  per- 
haps now  and  then  a  children's  party  which  she  might  attend, 
coasting,  and  possibly  a  little  skating.  The  summer  had  its  birds 
and  wild  flowers,  church  festivals,  and  most  likely  a  school  or  a 
Sunday-school  picnic  somewhere,  as  down  by  the  Lemonweir 
River,  which  touched  one  edge  of  the  village  and  had  some 
attractive  places  along  its  banks. 

That  was  nearly  the  typical  life  of  a  young  girl  at  that  time, 
in  a  village  in  Wisconsin.  Besides,  Susan  Esther  practiced  more 
or  less  on  the  piano,  under  her  father's  instruction.  She  also 
still  took  many  trips,  which  in  winter  were  sleigh  rides,  with  her 
father  and  her  mother  when  her  father  went  away  to  preach, 
or  when  he  wished  to  visit  members  of  the  church  who  lived  in 
the  country,  though  these  trips  were  never  allowed  to  interfere 
with  her  attendance  at  school.  One  of  the  places  to  which  they 
went  was  the  farm  of  an  uncle  who  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with 
getting  her  father  to  go  to  New  Lisbon,  and  who  became  the 
clerk  of  the  Baptist  church  there,  while  another  uncle  was  the 
chorister  of  the  church. 

On  some  of  the  trips  which  she  took,  she  saw,  within  a  few 
miles  of  New  Lisbon,  a  number  of  fine  examples  of  castellated 
rocks,  or  outliers,  which  must  at  first  have  seemed  wonderful 
to  her,  for  these  sculptured  products  of  the  running  waters  of 
past  ages  aided  by  the  work  of  the  winds  appeared  not  only  in 
the  imaginable  forms  of  old  castles,  but  also  in  those  of  great 
monuments,  towers,  pillars,  pinnacles,  and  the  like,  some  of 
them  200  feet  or  more  in  height,  standing  out  boldly,  sentinel- 
like,  on  a  peneplain,  while  others  of  them  might  be  conceived 
of  as  having  a  resemblance  to  various  living  creatures.  How- 
ever, the  most  common  sights  along  the  roads  traversed  were 
the  farms  with  their  houses  and  barns,  and,  in  their  seasons, 
fields  of  waving  grain,  green  meadows,  and  pasture  lands  on 
which  cattle  grazed,  some  wooded  land,  and  a  good  many  places 
where  cranberries  were  being  raised. 


GIRLHOOD  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  255 

After  Susan  Esther  had  had  about  two  years  of  such  life  in 
New  Lisbon,  the  home  scene  was  again  changed  for  her,  this 
time  to  Menomonie,  Wisconsin,  which  was  over  a  hundred  miles 
farther  north  and  west.  Menomonie  was  only  a  village  politi- 
cally, with  about  2,500  population,  while  it  claimed  3,500;  but 
it  was  a  great  business  place,  due  to  its  natural  advantages  and 
leading  men.  It  was  located  on  the  Red  Cedar  River,  adjacent 
to  great  pineries,  and  was  made  one  of  the  most  important 
centers  of  the  lumber  industry  in  the  United  States,  having  a 
very  large  sawmill  and  a  large  shingle-mill  to  which  the  logs 
were  floated  down  the  river.  It  had  also  other  mills,  manu- 
facturing and  business  enterprises,  stores,  a  couple  of  banks, 
a  newspaper,  churches,  and  good  schools.  Its  general  appear- 
ance, too,  was  attractive,  as  that  of  a  place  having  for  the  most 
part  comfortable  homes  in  well-kept  surroundings,  and  with 
fine  views  from  many  different  points. 

This  change  of  environment  was  educationally  beneficial  to 
Susan  Esther  in  giving  her  a  different  outlook  on  life  from  any 
that  she  had  yet  had,  although  the  daily  round  of  life  was  not 
much  changed  for  her  at  first,  unless  in  its  points  of  contact  out- 
side of  the  home  it  was  a  little  more  conventional,  which  did  not 
matter  much  to  her  as  she  was  getting  to  be  of  an  age  to  meet 
that.  She  formed  a  few  close  friendships  with  girls  whom  she 
met  at  church,  in  the  Sunday  school,  and  at  the  public  school 
which  she  attended.  But  as  she  advanced  in  her  studies,  the 
latter  became  more  exacting  upon  her  and  required  correspond- 
ingly more  of  her  time  outside  of  school.  Play,  as  she  had  once 
engaged  in  it,  was  for  her  a  thing  of  the  past,  though  there 
remained  a  variety  of  games  in  which  she  still  participated,  with 
delight,  when  the  opportunity  for  doing  so  was  afforded  her. 
But  to  some  of  the  games  in  which  young  people  occasionally 
engaged  at  church  socials  and  elsewhere  her  father  had  decided 
objections,  while  plenty  of  other  games,  amusements,  and 
diversions  met  with  his  approval.  As  in  her  earlier  play  Susan 


256         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Esther  engaged  whole-heartedly,  so  she  did  now  in  whatever 
games  she  joined;  and  her  father  continued  to  try  to  make  life 
for  her  what  he  thought  it  ought  to  be,  having  full  regard  for 
her  age  and  nature.  She  was  getting  to  be  old  enough,  too,  so 
that  she  could  appreciate  church  and  Sunday  school  much 
better  than  before,  and  get  more  enjoyment  out  of  them. 

An  important  part  of  the  diversions  of  those  days  was 
furnished  by  the  entertainments  gotten  up  to  raise  money  for 
church  or  charitable  purposes,  and,  secondarily,  to  afford  an 
evening  of  social  pleasure.  For  example,  after  it  had  been  voted, 
in  the  spring  of  1874,  that  no  saloon  licenses  should  be  granted 
in  Menomonie,  a  combined  library  and  reading-room  was  estab- 
lished in  order  to  provide  a  place  where  the  young  men  could 
spend  their  leisure  time,  and  a  spelling  match  was  held  in  Olivet 
Hall,  "for  the  benefit  of  the  reading-room  association."  That 
hall  was  the  place  in  which  the  then  recently  organized  Olivet 
Baptist  Church  held  its  public  services  and  Sunday  school;  and 
another  spelling  match  was  held  there,  ice  cream,  cake,  and 
lemonade  being  served  at  the  close,  the  proceeds  being  given  to 
the  church  society.  This  match,  it  was  subsequently  stated, 
in  the  Dunn  County  News,  passed  off  pleasantly  and  netted  the 
church  society  about  twelve  dollars.  Toward  the  end  of  June, 
the  ladies  of  the  Methodist  church  used  the  hall  for  a  strawberry 
and  ice  cream  festival.  Then,  the  ladies  of  the  Olivet  Baptist 
Church  announced  that  they  would  give  a  festival  in  the  hall 
on  the  Fourth  of  July,  day  and  evening,  dinner  to  be  served  from 
noon  until  2  P.M.,  and  ice  cream,  strawberries,  lemonade,  and 
other  refreshments  until  9  P.M.  ;  but  that  was  abandoned  for  the 
reason  that  "ample  entertainment  for  all  would  be  found  at  the 
Temperance  Festival,  near  the  M.E.  and  Congregational 
churches."  An  annual  or  occasional  donation  party  for  the 
minister  was  also  a  common  thing.  One  was  given  to  Mr. 
Colver  at  his  home,  near  the  close  of  1875  and  of  his  labors  in 
Menomonie,  at  which  the  contributions  of  "money  and  valuable 


GIRLHOOD  IN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSIN  257 

articles"  were  estimated  to  amount  to  over  one  hundred  dollars, 
while  "refreshments  in  abundance  were  provided  by  liberal  and 
skilful  hands."  In  expressing  his  appreciation  of  the  visit,  Mr. 
Colver  mentioned  especially  "  the  informal,  but  happy,  gathering 
of  young  people  connected  with  the  high  school,  whose  lively 
enjoyment  of  the  hours  spent  together  contributed  to  the 
pleasure  of  all  the  rest."  This  suggests  that  perhaps  Susan 
Esther  had  entered  the  high  school. 


CHAPTER  III 
PREPARATORY  AND   COLLEGIATE  EDUCATION 

That  no  place,  however  pleasant  or  desirable  it  may  be  for 
a  home  or  for  other  purposes,  has  a  monopoly  of  advantages 
was  again  shown  when  Mr.  Colver  and  his  family  moved,  late 
in  November  or  early  in  December,  1875,  from  Menomonie  to 
the  village  of  River  Falls,  Wisconsin,  which  lay  between  thirty- 
five  and  forty  miles  to  the  westward.  River  Falls  did  not  have 
such  mills  as  distinguished  Menomonie;  but  it  nevertheless  had 
its  mills,  which  were  situated  on  the  Kinnickinnick  River  that 
flowed  through  the  village  and  furnished  an  abundant  water 
power.  The  village,  located  on  a  tableland  elevated  from  30 
to  60  feet  above  the  river,  was  practically  walled  in  and  partially 
protected  by  low  hills,  locally  termed  "mounds,"  rising  quite 
abruptly  from  60  to  70  feet  in  height,  with  rocks  protruding  here 
and  there  near  their  tops.  It  was  the  commercial  center  of  a 
prosperous  farming  community,  yet  in  appearance  it  was  more 
of  a  home  place  for  its  possibly  1,500  inhabitants  than  it  was  a 
market  place.  Almost  all  of  its  houses  were  well  built,  home- 
like, and  stood  in  generous-sized  lots.  The  general  tone,  too, 
of  the  village  was  peaceful  and  restful.  Yet  along  the  river 
there  were  some  delightfully  contrasting  scenes  of  rushing, 
noisy  waters,  walls  of  rock,  steep  hillsides,  and  the  falls  from 
which  the  village  derived  its  name.  Of  its  institutions,  the 
most  prominent  was  a  new  state  normal  school,  which  was 
opened  in  September,  1875. 

Miss  Colver,  as  Susan  Esther  had  now  come  generally  to  be 
called,  went  on  with  her  studies  much  as  before,  making  good 
advancement  therein  all  the  while.  In  1877-78,  she  attended 

258 


PREPARATORY  AND  COLLEGIATE  EDUCATION         259 

the  normal  school,  as  a  student  in  the  "normal  department, 
normal  grade."  One  who  knew  her  then  characterized  her  as 
being  "  a  fine  young  woman  of  high  aims  and  exceptional  mental 
ability — a  brilliant  student."  She  also  kept  up  her  practice  on 
the  piano,  and  for  some  time  played  the  organ  for  church  and 
Sunday  school,  or  else  sang  in  the  church  choir.  Her  health 
continued  to  be  of  the  very  best,  and  she  enjoyed  life  in  its 
simplicity,  with  fulness  of  occupation.  Besides,  she  still  had 
her  diversions,  in  church  and  Sunday  school,  with  select  friends, 
sometimes  in  little  expeditions  to  the  river,  and  occasionally  in 
trips  with  her  parents  into  the  country,  or  even  to  attend 
Baptist  associational  meetings  when  held  not  too  far  away. 

During  the  school  year  of  1878-79  she  attended  the  Wayland 
Academy,  at  Beaver  Dam,  Wisconsin,  about  forty  miles  north- 
east of  Madison.  That  was  her  first  and  only  long  absence 
from  home,  while  any  real  absence,  except  in  company  with  her 
parents,  was  very  rare.  The  Wayland  Academy,  which  was 
opened  in  the  fall  of  1855,  was  styled  the  academic  or  prepara- 
tory department  of  "  Way  land  University,"  which  latter  the 
Baptists  in  Wisconsin  took  steps,  in  1854,  to  found,  but  of 
which  the  academy  was  all  that  was  ever  established.  Indeed 
it  required  a  hard  struggle  and  much  sacrifice  through  many 
years,  up  into  the  eighties,  to  secure  permanently  even  the 
Academy  alone. 

Private  and  semi-private  academies,  the  former  often  on 
denominational  foundations  and  the  latter  supported  in  part 
by  public  funds,  were  important  educational  features  for  a 
considerable  period  and  vital  links  in  the  developing  school 
system,  supplying  a  great  need.  They  were  the  American 
substitutes  for  what  often  have  been  called  the  Latin  grammar 
schools,  which  were  derived  from  England  and  made  a  part  of 
the  public-school  system  of  New  England,  to  prepare  young 
men  for  college.  But  those  grammar  schools  were  too  narrow, 
both  hi  their  aims  and  in  their  curriculums,  to  satisfy  very  long 


260          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

American  ideals  and  requirements.  The  academies  were  there- 
fore established,  with  provisions  for  teaching  more  in  the 
English  tongue,  and,  besides  the  subjects  necessary  to  prepare 
youths  for  college,  other  branches  deemed  desirable  for  those 
not  contemplating  attending  college,  or  instruction  beyond  that 
given  in  the  reading  and  writing  schools,  which  were  the  prede- 
cessors of  the  public  elementary  schools.  From  the  academies 
were  evolved,  in  the  course  of  time,  the  public  high  schools  and 
the  state  normal  schools.  What  is  generally  considered  to  have 
been  the  first  academy  founded  in  America  was  the  one  that  is 
commonly  called  Franklin's  Academy,  because  it  grew  out  of 
his  suggestions  and  he  was  the  first  president  of  its  board  of 
trustees.  It  was  founded  in  1 7  5 1  and  was  subsequently  incorpo- 
rated as  the  "College,  Academy  and  Charitable  School  of 
Philadelphia  in  Pennsylvania."  One  of  its  functions,  according 
to  its  charter,  was  to  be  the  training  of  some  as  teachers.  It 
developed  into  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  The  first  high 
school  was  established  in  Boston  in  1821,  as  the  "Boys'  Classical 
School,"  the  term  "high  school"  being  officially  applied  to  it 
three  years  later.  In  1839,  the  first  normal  school  in  America 
was  opened  at  Lexington,  Massachusetts.  The  first  state  nor- 
mal school  in  Wisconsin  dates  from  1866.  The  River  Falls 
Normal  School  was  the  fourth  in  Wisconsin. 

Wayland  University,  or  what  became  instead  of  it  Wayland 
Academy,  which  was  at  first  for  boys  or  young  men  only,  but 
was  afterward  made  coeducational,  was  located  at  Beaver  Dam 
because  that  place  made  the  best  bid  for  it.  The  site  obtained 
there  for  it  was  on  an  eminence,  about  four  blocks  from  the 
business  portion  of  the  city.  College  Hall,  now  called  "Way- 
land  Hall,"  was  the  Academy's  only  building  in  1878-79.  It 
was  four  stories  in  height,  counting  the  basement.  There  was 
a  central  part,  in  which  were  the  offices,  recitation  rooms,  and 
chapel;  and  from  that  part  extended  what  might  be  called  two 
wings,  which  were  used  as  dormitories,  one  for  young  men,  the 


THE  OLD  MOUNT  CARROLL  SEMINARY 


COLLEGE  HALL,   NOW   CALLED   "WAYLAND   HALL,"  AT 
BEAVER   DAM,  WISCONSIN 


PREPARATORY  AND  COLLEGIATE  EDUCATION         261 

other  for  young  women.  In  the  basement  were  the  dining-room 
and  the  kitchen.  Some  of  the  students,  however,  boarded 
themselves.  All  had  to  take  care  of  their  own  rooms  as  well  as 
to  furnish  them  with  whatever  was  needed  or  wanted  in  them, 
except  bedsteads,  mattresses,  chairs,  tables,  and  washstands. 
Miss  Colver  went  to  Wayland  Academy  for  just  one  year,  in 
order  to  complete  her  preparation  for  college,  in  certain  branches, 
better  than  she  could  do  it  in  River  Falls.  Greek  was  the  main 
subject  that  she  wished  to  study  then,  which  she  found  was  very 
thoroughly  taught  at  the  Academy  at  that  time  by  a  daughter 
of  Professor  James  R.  Boise,  the  eminent  Greek  scholar  who 
had  been  connected  with  the  old  University  of  Chicago.  Miss 
Colver  was  described  as  being  "a  rather  retiring,  very  close,  or 
accurate,  student." 

Wayland  Academy  was,  at  the  request  of  its  trustees,  during 
a  portion  of  its  early  history,  under  the  care  of  the  old  University 
of  Chicago.  In  later  times,  it  was  affiliated  for  many  years  with 
the  present  University  of  Chicago.  The  Academy's  high  Chris- 
tian standard,  or  religious  atmosphere,  without  sectarianism, 
has  always  been  emphasized.  In  many  other  respects  the 
passing  years  have  witnessed  various  changes,  including  an 
increase  in  the  number  of  buildings,  in  the  endowment,  and  in 
the  attendance.  For  a  number  of  years  all  of  the  students  were 
required  to  attend  not  only  the  daily  chapel  services  during  the 
week,  but  also  church  and  Sunday  school  on  Sunday  at  some 
church  selected  by  their  parents  or  guardians.  The  chapel 
exercises  were  originally  principally  devotional.  Now,  accord- 
ing to  a  recent  catalogue,  besides  always  containing  a  distinct 
devotional  element,  they  also  contain  much  that  is  otherwise 
informational  and  inspirational — talks  upon  matters  of  current 
interest,  bits  of  history,  sketches  of  men  and  movements, 
musical  programs,  readings  in  poetry,  fiction,  and  essays,  and 
frequent  stereopticon  lectures.  The  same  catalogue  shows 
further  changed  conditions  by  stating  that  teachers  and  students 


262  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

are  alert  to  find  ways  for  social  pleasures,  that  there  is  an  ice 
rink  on  the  campus,  coasting  when  the  snow  permits,  gymnasium 
frolics,  class  parties,  bowling  and  billiards  in  the  boys'  club- 
room,  picnics,  and  picture  shows.  The  entertainment  feature 
is  also  dwelt  on  at  some  length,  it  being  sufficient  to  charge  ten 
dollars  a  year  for  it.  However,  it  is  said  that  work  is  the  first 
thing  at  Wayland;  clean,  right  conduct  is  second;  good  health 
is  third;  and  pleasure  and  real  happiness  is  next;  and  all  have 
constant  emphasis.  A  somewhat  interesting  difference  in  the 
relative  importance  appeared  to  be  attached  in  different  years 
to  certain  articles  which  it  was  stated  that  the  students  should 
have.  The  Bible  was  always  mentioned  first.  Bath  towels 
were  among  the  later  suggestions.  One  year  it  was  said  that 
each  student  should  be  provided  if  possible  with  a  good  dic- 
tionary, fountain  pen,  umbrella,  and  bathrobe.  Another  year 
the  fountain  pen  was  placed  next  to  the  Bible,  and  ahead  of 
the  dictionary.  Finally  the  bathrobe  was  called  for  next  to 
the  fountain  pen,  while  dictionary  and  umbrella  were  placed  on 
the  "if  possible"  list.  The  later-mentioned  needs  also  included 
a  broom  and  a  dustpan. 

To  save  Miss  Colver  from  having  to  go  away  from  home 
again,  in  order  to  attend  college,  her  parents  decided  to  move 
to  Chicago,  where  they  had  a  house  a  block  south  of  the  old 
University  of  Chicago.  Having  their  own  horses  and  carriage, 
the  family  drove  from  River  Falls  to  Chicago,  starting  in  the 
latter  part  of  July,  1879,  somewhat  as  might  be  done  now  with 
an  automobile,  only  that  it  took  them  longer  to  make  the  trip, 
for  which  they  were  compensated  by  having  a  better  chance  to 
study  the  country  through  which  they  passed.  Their  house 
in  Chicago,  in  which  they  were  thenceforth  to  live,  was  at 
No.  100  of  what  was  then  variously  known  as  Douglas  Place  or 
Avenue,  or  Thirty-fifth  Street,  the  numbering  beginning  at  the 
lake  and  running  west,  No.  100  being  on  the  north  side  of  the 
street  about  midway  between  Cottage  Grove  and  Rhodes 


PREPARATORY  AND  COLLEGIATE  EDUCATION         263 

avenues.  The  house  was  a  frame  one  that  might  be  called 
three  stories  high,  and  it  was  the  next  to  the  last  house  on 
the  west  in  a  block  of  five  connected  houses.  The  Standard  of 
August  28,  1879,  in  announcing  that  Mr.  Colver  had  become  a 
resident  of  Chicago,  and  saying,  "We  are  truly  glad  to  have 
Brother  Colver  as  a  near  neighbor,  and  to  number  him  with 
those  in  this  great  city  who  have  a  real  interest  in  the  Lord's 
work  and  are  efficient  in  its  promotion,"  called  special  attention 
to  the  fact  that  his  home  was  very  nearly  the  same  as  that  in 
which  his  father,  Dr.  Colver,  had  spent  the  last  years  of  his 
life,  that  being  at  98  Douglas  Place,  or  in  the  same  block  of 
houses  as  No.  100,  and  east  of  the  latter. 

The  southern  boundary  of  the  city  was  still  at  Thirty-ninth 
Street,  or  Egan  Avenue,  as  it  was  called.  The  location  of  the 
University  was  given  in  the  city  directory  as  570  Cottage  Grove 
Avenue,  the  numbering  beginning  at  Twenty-second  Street; 
but  two  years  later  it  was  given  as  3400  Cottage  Grove  Avenue, 
thus  placing  it  at  Thirty-fourth  Street  and  Cottage  Grove 
Avenue,  in  conformity  with  the  numbering  beginning  at  Lake 
Street  for  the  through  streets. 

One  of  its  advertisements  stated  that  the  University  had 
" collegiate,  law,  and  preparatory  departments;  classical,  scien- 
tific, and  elective  courses  of  study";  adding,  "young  ladies 
admitted  to  full  privileges."  Along  with  the  other  notable 
developments  in  education  in  America,  and  in  some  respects  the 
greatest  of  all,  was  that  relating  to  the  education  of  girls  and 
young  women.  In  colonial  times  it  was  generally  considered 
sufficient  if  women  could  read,  write,  and  had  a  little  knowledge 
of  arithmetic.  Nay,  more,  in  some  localities  in  New  England 
girls  were  debarred  from  attending  the  town  or  district  ele- 
mentary schools  in  winter,  while  the  doors  of  all  higher  schools 
were  closed  to  them  entirely.  Then  there  came  an  era  in  which 
private  schools  for  girls  were  established.  In  the  second  and 
third  quarters  of  the  nineteenth  century,  seminaries  and  colleges 


264  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

for  young  women,  and,  more  numerous  than  those,  coeduca- 
cational  colleges  and  universities  were  founded  or  developed, 
coeducation  being  adopted  in  the  newer  states  largely  as  a 
matter  of  economic  expediency.  The  University  of  Chicago 
became  coeducational  in  1874. 

Twenty-one  years  from  its  inception  brought  the  University, 
not  into  a  position  of  healthy  development  and  good  standing, 
whence  it  could  go  forward  in  strength,  but  into  a  pitiable  state  of 
almost  complete  financial  paralysis  and  breakdown.  Its  affairs 
were  in  a  deplorable  condition,  especially  pecuniarily.  The 
faculty  was  not  only  sadly  depleted  in  numbers,  but  the  names 
which  had  been  its  glory  no  longer  appeared  on  the  list.  A 
correspondent  of  the  Examiner,  of  New  York,  said,  as  quoted  in 
the  Standard  of  March  16,  1882,  that  the  University  had  in 
1878  "  reached  the  lowest  point  of  its  history.  Its  creditors  were 
clamorous,  its  current  expenses  were  unmet,  and  its  professors 
unpaid.  General  opprobrium  rested  upon  it.  The  press  of  the 
city  was  unwilling  to  give  it  respectful  mention.  The  disastrous 
controversies  connected  with  it  had  made  it  a  term  of  reproach." 
It  was  at  that  juncture  that  Dr.  Galusha  Anderson,  who  was  then 
the  pastor  of  the  Second  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago,  was  asked 
(in  February,  1878)  to  accept  the  presidency  of  the  University, 
as  the  only  man  who  could  be  hoped  to  save  it.  He  accepted 
the  task,  and  put  his  shoulders  under  the  burden; 

On  the  other  hand,  this  correspondent  said  that,  notwith- 
standing the  financial  embarrassments  of  the  University,  it  had 
always  maintained  a  high  standard  of  scholarship,  and  had 
rendered  efficient  service  in  training  men  for  the  ministry  and  for 
other  departments  of  Christian  labor.  "  Deduct  those  men 
furnished  by  this  institution,  and  there  would  be  a  great  void 
in  the  ranks  of  Christian  laborers.  Its  graduates  stand  in  no 
wise  behind  those  from  other  institutions,  either  in  scholarship 
or  efficiency.  They  are  found  East  and  West,  in  the  home  field 
and  in  foreign  Jands.  The  denomination  is  in  vital  need  of  it. 


PREPARATORY  AND  COLLEGIATE  EDUCATION         265 

We  cannot  do  the  work  that  God  has  committed  to  us  without 
its  aid.  If  the  University  were  to  close  its  doors  and  cease  to 
exist,  Baptists  would  be  under  the  necessity  of  establishing 

another  to  take  its  place All  our  churches  and  the 

Theological  Seminary  are  [in  1882]  experiencing  the  blessings  of 
union  and  harmony  in  our  denominational  matters.  The  day 
of  discord  and  jealousy  is  past;  brotherly  love  and  progress  are 
now  the  watchwords.  The  University  has  been  most  deeply 
imbedded  in  the  mire,  and  is  the  last  to  feel  the  rising  tide; 
now  there  are  indications  that  it  will  soon  float.  The  evidences 
are  conclusive  that  it  is  gaining  in  the  confidence  of  the  public 
and  in  the  sympathies  of  the  denomination.  The  moral  tone 
and  standard  of  scholarship  have  been  greatly  elevated." 

Dr.  Anderson  began  his  administration  by  giving  the  most 
of  his  time  to  financial  matters,  but  by  1879-80,  which  was 
Miss  Colver's  first  year  in  attendance  at  the  University,  he  was 
devoting  himself  more  to  the  general  duties  of  administration 
and  to  teaching,  giving  such  time  as  he  could  spare  to  looking 
after  the  finances  of  the  institution.  That  year,  too,  there  were 
several  important  additions  made  to  the  faculty.  The  Standard 
of  August  26,  1880,  quotes  Dr.  Anderson  as  having  stated  that, 
in  the  collegiate  department,  there  were  "courses  of  study  equal 
to  those  of  the  best  colleges  of  the  East";  that  there  were 
frequent  unannounced  examinations;  and  that  the  marking 
system  had  been  introduced  under  his  administration. 

But  a  new  crisis  was  reached  in  the  affairs  of  the  University 
when,  according  to  the  Standard  of  February  24,  1881,  a  suit 
was  commenced  through  which  the  question  as  to  the  property 
of  the  institution  and  the  whole  financial  interest  involved 
would  be  tried  in  the  courts,  so  that  it  might  be  anticipated 
that  upon  one  basis  or  another  the  matters  so  long  pending 
would  be  brought  to  an  issue  that  must  be  final.  More  par- 
ticularly, the  court  was  asked  to  declare  void  a  trust  deed 
given  to  an  insurance  company,  in  1876,  for  $150,000,  on  the 


266          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

ground  that  by  the  conditions  under  which  the  property  had 
been  donated  it  was  not  subject  to  such  alienation,  and  because 
the  original  loan  was  but  $60,000,  while  the  other  $90,000  was 
made  up  of  interest  and  interest  compounded,  whereas  the 
company  had  been  offered  $50,000  in  settlement  of  its  claim. 
The  litigation  that  was  developed  from  this  step  hung  over  the 
University  for  several  years,  and,  as  the  debt  involved  had  done, 
prevented  any  very  decided  further  advancement.  Any  thought 
of  repudiation  was  denied,  but  the  duty  to  protect  the  first  trust 
imposed  upon  the  University  was  asserted,  while  the  offer  made 
for  a  settlement  was  regarded  as  a  fair  one,  considering  the 
condition  of  the  University  and  in  view  of  all  the  circumstances. 
In  his  report  to  the  board  of  trustees,  at  the  close  of  the 
year  1 880-81,  Dr.  Anderson  said  that  there  had  been  throughout 
the  entire  year  the  most  perfect  harmony  in  the  faculties  of 
instruction.  "The  professors  have  given  themselves  to  their 
work  with  great  enthusiasm  and  with  rare  fidelity.  I  am 
anxious  that  all  the  trustees  should  know  that  it  would  be 
difficult  to  find  anywhere  a  more  able  and  efficient  faculty  than 
that  which  now  serves  and  adorns  this  institution  of  learning. 

But  these  professors  are  overworked We  have  only  $600 

of  endowment,  and  the  few  dollars  of  income  from  that  are 
applied  exclusively  to  the  extinguishment  of  an  old  debt.  Our 
reliance  is  on  our  tuition.  The  law  department  is  made  to 
sustain  itself,  in  a  poor  way,  by  its  tuition  fees,  ....  each 
professor  receiving  a  little  more  than  one  thousand  dollars  for 
his  services.  But  the  tuitions  of  the  departments  of  philosophy 
and  the  arts,  and  of  the  preparatory  department,  cannot  be 
made  to  meet  the  current  expenses  of  those  departments.  These 
tuitions  are  depleted  by  fifty  or  sixty  scholarships.  The  endow- 
ments of  these  scholarships  were  consumed  as  they  were  gath- 
ered, while  we  are  compelled  to  keep  the  contracts,  and  educate 
those  put  upon  such  scholarships  without  compensation.  The 
tuitions  are  again  depleted  because  the  children  of  ministers  of 


PREPARATORY  AND  COLLEGIATE  EDUCATION         267 

all  denominations  are  required  to  pay  but  half  the  ordinary 
rates.  These  things  are  not  to  be  complained  of,  but  they  show 
how  our  financial  work  is  burdened.  It  becomes  necessary  for 
some  one  to  raise,  each  year,  by  personal  solicitation,  from 
$6,000  to  $8,000.  As  no  agent  is  provided,  this  task  falls  on  me. 
This,  in  addition  to  my  teaching,  often  seems  to  me  more  than 
I  can  endure.  What  it  costs  of  time  and  labor  no  one  knows 
until  he  has  undertaken  it  on  behalf  of  an  institution  in  debt. 
To  such  an  institution  men  give  their  money  very  reluctantly."1 
At  the  end  of  the  following  school  year,  the  Standard  of 
June  22,  1882,  in  reporting  the  Twenty-fourth  Annual  Com- 
mencement of  the  University,  said:  "We  are  not  in  a  position 
to  do  more  than  speak  generally  of  the  financial  prospect;  but 
if  we  say  that  it  is  such  as  to  encourage  President  Anderson  still 
to  stand  at  his  post,  readers  will  rightly  infer  that  there  is  an 

outlook  and  a  hope We  think  it  only  right  to  say  that 

each  year  since  Dr.  Anderson  accepted    its   presidency  the 

institution  has  gained  ground  in  public  estimation The 

derision  or  complaining  tone  once  so  common  among  our  citizens, 
and  Western  people  generally,  is  now,  so  far  as  we  know,  never 
heard.  The  success  of  the  new  administration,  the  high  char- 
acter of  the  instruction  given,  the  fine  literary  spirit  among  the 
students,  the  general  most  creditable  standing  of  the  University 
among  the  great  schools  of  the  land — these  facts  are  recognized 
by  those  who  are  at  pains  to  inform  themselves."  The  presi- 
dent's report  showed  an  enrolment  during  the  year  of  59  students 
in  the  collegiate  department,  80  in  the  preparatory  department, 
and  130  in  the  law  department  or  school,  or,  in  all,  269,  of  whom 
27  were  young  women,  26  of  them  being  in  the  department  of 
liberal  arts.  "The  work  of  the  classrooms,"  Dr.  Anderson  said, 
"has  been  performed  with  rare  fidelity  and  thoroughness.  The 
able  professors  ought  to  be  more  liberally  compensated.  Their 
salaries  are  less  than  the  salaries  of  some  of  our  teachers  in  the 

1  The  Standard  of  July  7,  1881. 


268          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

public  schools  of  the  city.  They  have  tempting  offers  by  other 
institutions,  and  only  their  heartfelt  loyalty  to  this  University 
holds  them  in  their  places." 

It  was  at  that  commencement,  the  public  exercises  of  which 
were  held  in  Central  Music  Hall  on  June  14,  1882,  that  Susan 
Esther  Colver  was  graduated  by  the  University  of  Chicago,  and 
was  given  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  After  she  entered 
the  University,  at  the  beginning  of  the  fall  term,  in  September, 
1879,  she  did  the  four  years'  work  of  the  classical  course  in  three 
years,  and  she  did  it  exceptionally  well,  showing  herself  to  be  a 
very  conscientious,  thorough,  and  capable  student,  finishing 
with  her  health  as  good  at  the  end  as  it  was  in  the  beginning. 
To  do  that  necessarily  kept  her  pretty  well  occupied  and  left 
her  little  or  no  time  for  social  pleasures  as  such.  She  got  some 
change  and  indoor  exercise  by  helping  more  or  less  with  the 
housework,  especially  on  Saturdays,  and  a  certain  amount  of 
diversion  by  practicing  on  the  piano,  either  classical  compo- 
sitions or  religious  pieces.  There  might  also  occasionally  be  a 
concert,  a  lecture,  or  an  entertainment  of  some  sort  which  she 
would  attend.  She  never  studied  her  week-day  lessons  on 
Sunday,  which  gave  her  that  day  for  rest,  particularly  through 
attending  church  and  Sunday  school,  the  afternoon  being 
employed  in  studying  the  Sunday-school  lesson  for  the  following 
Sabbath,  in  select  reading,  in  the  playing  of  hymns  on  the  piano, 
or  sometimes  in  going  to  some  mission  Sunday  school  or  to  some 
special  services.  Her  vacations  were  filled  with  studies,  prac- 
ticing on  the  piano,  helping  in  the  household,  and  various  simple 
and  wholesome  diversions,  which  included  considerable  walking, 
visits  to  the  parks,  and  the  like.  Her  father  continued  his 
interest  in  all  that  she  did,  and  helped  very  greatly  to  make 
those  years  both  profitable  and  pleasant  ones  for  her. 

The  Daily  Inter  Ocean  of  June  15,  1882,  speaking  of  the 
graduating  exercises  generally,  said  that  "they  in  every  way 
reflected  the  highest  credit  upon  the  faculty  of  the  University. 
In  all  the  three  perfections — broad,  clear  thought;  the  embodi- 


PREPARATORY  AND  COLLEGIATE  EDUCATION         269 

ment  of  that  thought  in  beautiful,  expressive,  and  forcible 
language;  and  the  utterance  of  that  language  in  clear,  sonorous 
voice,  correctly  modulated  and  accompanied  by  suitable  ges- 
tures— whose  union  constitute  true  eloquence,  the  graduates  or, 
at  least,  the  nine  who  delivered  orations  or  read  essays,  did  not 
only  themselves  the  highest  honor,  but  reflected  in  so  doing 
their  own  victory  on  that  alma  mater  which  had  fostered  them." 
Miss  Colver  read  an  essay  on  " Personality."  The  Standard 
said:  "No  one  will  complain  if,  in  our  brief  comment,  we  give 
precedence  in  the  order  of  mention  to  the  one  lady  on  the  list. 
Miss  Colver  read  her  essay  in  a  ladylike  manner,  and  commended 
herself  to  the  audience  alike  by  the  excellence  of  her  thought, 
and  the  good  English  of  her  diction."  From  the  Times  and  the 
Journal  it  may  be  gathered  that  Miss  Colver  took  the  position 
that,  as  in  the  world  of  matter  no  two  things  are  precisely  alike, 
so  there  are  no  two  persons  just  the  same.  All  men  have 
certain  qualities  in  common;  but,  besides  inherited  differences, 
others  come  to  be  developed  by  environment,  by  experience,  by 
education,  and  by  the  particular  influence  of  men  of  high 
character,  all  of  which  effects  go  to  make  up  what  is  called 
individuality  or  personality.  Self-control  is  one  of  the  most 
important  elements  of  a  lofty  type  of  personality,  and  it  should 
be  specially  cultivated.  The  great  advances  made  in  the  world 
have  almost  all  been  due  to  men  of  marked  personality.  Char- 
acter, inclination,  and  perseverance  are  necessary  to  success  in 
life.  A  large  proportion  of  the  failures  in  life  have  occurred 
among  men  who  were  continually  changing — who  had  no 
personality.  It  is  of  vital  importance  that  everyone  should 
cultivate  wisdom,  integrity,  and  a  high  and  pure  personality, 
for  on  these  depend  the  civilization  of  the  future. 

The  last  number  on  the  commencement  program  was  a 
beautiful  rendering,  by  a  ladies'  quartette,  of  Miss  Colver's  and 
her  father's  favorite  hymn,  "Nearer,  My  God,  to  Thee." 

The  University  of  Chicago  conferred  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts  on  Miss  Colver  on  June  16, 1886. 


CHAPTER  IV 
THIRTY  YEARS  OF  SERVICE  IN  CHICAGO  SCHOOLS 

After  her  graduation  from  the  University  of  Chicago,  Miss 
Colver  lost  no  unnecessary  time  in  getting  into  what  was  to  be 
her  life-work,  a  work  for  which  she  had  long  and  carefully  been 
preparing,  and  one  that  was  in  her  case  undoubtedly  wisely 
chosen,  in  order  best  to  serve  humanity  with  her  talents.  She 
spent  a  good  portion  of  the  summer  vacation  in  getting  ready 
to  take  the  examination  set  for  September  23,  1882,  for  teachers 
for  the  public  schools  of  the  city.  She  passed  the  examination 
satisfactorily  and  was  given  a  certificate  to  teach  in  the  grammar 
and  primary  grades.  She  received  her  appointment  as  a  teacher 
on  October  26,  1882.  She  was  assigned  to  the  Wallace  Street 
School,  a  grammar  school,  the  name  of  which  was  subsequently 
changed  to  McClellan  School.  It  was  located  at  the  southeast 
corner  of  Wallace  Street  and  Douglas  Avenue  or  Thirty-fifth 
Street,  and  was  about  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  where  she  lived. 

The  public  schools  of  Chicago  offered  a  capable  woman 
about  as  good  a  field  for  useful  service  of  a  high  order,  especially 
with  a  fair  remuneration,  as  she  could  find  forty  years  ago; 
and  if  real  service  was  the  dominant  aim,  perhaps  no  better 
position  could  be  asked  than  one  in  a  primary  or  grammar  school. 

In  Chicago  the  first  recorded  regular  teaching,  partaking 
somewhat  of  the  nature  of  school  tuition,  was  in  the  winter  of 
1810-11.  The  teacher  was  a  boy  about  thirteen  years  of  age; 
the  one  pupil,  a  boy  of  six  years;  the  principal  aid,  a  spelling 
book.  The  first  school  was  opened  by  a  discharged  soldier,  in 
the  fall  of  1 8 16,  in  a  log  building  that  had  been  used  as  a  bakery. 
He  had  seven  or  eight  pupils.  The  first  public  school  dates 

270 


THIRTY  YEARS  OF  SERVICE  271 

from  1834,  an  appropriation  made  to  aid  it  giving  it  its  char- 
acter. A  woman  teacher  of  1834-36  wrote  afterward  that  "it 
was  not  uncommon,  in  going  to  and  from  school,  to  see  prairie 
wolves,  and  we  could  hear  them  howl  any  time  of  the  day.  We 
were  frequently  annoyed  by  Indians.  But  the  great  difficulty 
we  had  to  encounter  was  mud.  No  person  now  can  have  a  just 
idea  of  what  Chicago  mud  used  to  be.  Rubbers  were  of  no 
account.  I  purchased  a  pair  of  gentlemen's  brogans,  and 
fastened  them  tight  around  the  ankles,  but  would  still  go  over 
them  in  mud  and  water,  and  was  obliged  to  have  a  pair  of  men's 
boots  made.  What  few  buildings  there  were  then  were  mostly 
on  Water  Street."1 

The  first  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  of  the  city 
entered  upon  his  duties  in  May  or  June,  1854.  In  his  first 
annual  report,  dated  in  December  of  that  year,  he  stated  that 
he  had  found  a  want  of  system,  and  had  graded  and  classified 
the  schools,  as  well  as  had  established  a  teachers'  institute,  with 
sessions  to  be  held  on  two  Saturdays  in  each  month.  He  also 
mentioned  that  in  some  of  the  schools  a  large  percentage  of  the 
pupils  on  entering  could  not  speak  English,  and  that,  "as  might 
be  expected,  those  schools  were  best  taught  which  were  best 
governed."  The  schools  then  were  all  either  primary  or 
grammar  schools,  in  which  were  taught  principally,  according 
to  grades,  reading,  writing,  spelling  and  definitions,  written  and 
oral  arithmetic,  geography,  and,  either  then  or  soon  after,  United 
States  history,  and  perhaps  the  outlines  of  English  history. 

Instruction  in  vocal  music  was  first  provided  in  1842;  in 
German,  in  1865 ;  and  in  drawing,  in  1869.  The  first  high  school 
was  opened  in  the  fall  of  1856,  with  a  normal  department  to 
prepare  young  ladies,  residents  of  the  city,  for  successful  teaching 
in  the  public  schools  of  the  city.  The  first  experiment  in  organ- 
izing free  evening  schools  was  made  during  the  winter  of  1856, 

1  Fourth  Annual  Report  of  the  Superintendent  of  the  Public  Schools  of 
the  City  of  Chicago  for  the  Year  Ending  February  i,  1858. 


272          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

with  an  enrolment  of  208  and  an  average  attendance  of  150. 
In  1870  the  first  step  was  taken  toward  establishing  a  school 
for  deaf-mutes.  Among  the  general  regulations  of  the  public 
schools  which  were  published  in  the  report  of  the  board  of 
education  for  the  year  ending  February  i,  1860,  one  was  that 
"  the  morning  exercises  of  each  department  of  the  several  schools 
shall  commence  with  reading  the  Scriptures,  without  note  or 
comment,  and  that  exercise  may  be  followed  by  repeating  the 
Lord's  Prayer  and  by  appropriate  singing.  It  shall  be  the  duty 
of  every  teacher  to  join  in  the  opening  exercises."  In  September, 
1875,  so  much  of  the  rules  of  the  board  as  provided  for  "reading 
the  Scriptures  without  note  or  comment  and  repeating  the 
Lord's  Prayer"  at  the  opening  morning  exercises  of  the  schools 
each  day  was  stricken  out.1 

By  1882  the  public  schools  of  Chicago  had  been  brought  to 
a  comparatively  high  standard  of  development.  There  was 
still,  however,  as  there  had  been  all  along,  a  lack  of  sufficient 
accommodations,  due  to  the  ever  and  fast  increasing  number  of 
pupils  caused  by  the  unparalleled  rapid  growth  of  the  city. 
Matters  were  not  improved  in  that  respect,  notwithstanding 
that  new  school  buildings  were  constantly  being  erected.  Other 
buildings,  although  poorly  adapted  for  the  purpose,  had  to  be 
rented  for  school  use.  Rooms  in  the  basements  of  school  and 
other  buildings  were  often  used  as  schoolrooms;  and  not  infre- 
quently what  were  called  double  divisions  were  resorted  to,  the 
pupils  of  one  division  attending  school  in  the  forenoon,  and 
those  of  the  other  division  in  the  afternoon,  which  arrangement 
was  the  more  unfortunate  because  approximately  four-fifths 
of  the  pupils  beginning  at  six  years  of  age  attended  school  but 
from  three  to  five  years.  In  1882,  the  city  owned  67  school 
buildings,  and  rented  9  other  buildings  to  be  used  for  schools. 

'"Historical  Sketches  of  the  Public  School  System  of  Chicago," 
Twenty-fifth  Annual  Report  of  the  Board  of  Education  for  the  Year  Ending 
July  31,  1879. 


THIRTY  YEARS  OF  SERVICE  273 

The  school  census  of  that  year  gave  the  total  population  of  the 
city  as  560,693,  which  included  110,389  children  between  six 
and  sixteen  years  of  age,  while  the  total  enrolment  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  city  was  68,614,  which  was  an  increase  of  5,473 
over  the  enrolment  of  the  year  before. 

Corporal  punishment  had  been  abolished  in  the  city  schools 
not  long  before  that,  and  disciplining  without  it — but  with 
suspension  as  a  substitute  for  the  incorrigible — was  still  some- 
what in  the  experimental  stage;  while  it  was  said  that,  whether 
believed  in  or  not,  the  sentiment  of  society  was  such  that  the 
older  modes  of  discipline  could  no  longer  be  employed,  and  that 
a  kindly  and  loving  interest  was  taking  the  place  of  the  old 
system  of  compulsion.  The  general  aim  in  the  work  of  the 
schoolroom,  the  superintendent  stated,  was  to  get  away  from 
the  old  system  of  restraint  and  repression,  and  to  attempt  rather 
to  awaken  and  to  inspire;  to  supplant  the  old  memorized  rule 
and  definition  by  better  understanding  and  correct  use.  The 
teaching  of  words,  instead  of  the  individual  letters  of  the  alpha- 
bet, to  beginners  was  also  being  employed.  Moreover,  the  day 
of  the  old-time  declamation  was  declared  to  have  gone  by, 
because,  so  far  as  it  had  any  result  beyond  terrorizing  the  timid, 
it  induced  a  style  of  speaking  no  longer  in  demand  outside  of 
the  political  caucus. 

Nor  was  that  to  be  a  stopping-place  in  the  development  of 
the  school  system.  It  was  more  like  the  beginning  of  a  new  era. 
The  next  thirty  years  were  destined  to  show  further  great  prog- 
ress in  the  adjustment  to  new  conditions  and  discovered  needs. 
Every  one  of  those  years  brought  its  special  problems.  To 
meet  them,  many  changes  had  to  be  made  in  the  courses  of 
study  and  methods  of  instruction  in  the  schools.  The  mere 
growth  of  the  city,  with  its  attendant  effects,  made  many  of 
these  changes  necessary.  It  introduced  many  foreign  ideas 
and  elements  which  had  to  be  amalgamated  and  brought  into 
harmony  with  American  ideals.  It  changed  the  home  life, 


274          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

too,  in  various  ways  that  made  new  demands  on  the  schools. 
It  took  away  the  most  of  the  old  style  of  family  instruction  and 
discipline.  Children  as  a  rule  were  no  longer  watched  over  and 
trained  as  they  once  were.  Many  of  them  never  even  got  the 
benefit  of  good,  wholesome  play.  Their  eyes  and  hands  and 
brains  were  not  trained  by  doing  things  and  making  things,  as 
was  the  case  when  all  home  and  personal  wants  were  supplied 
at  home,  so  far  as  they  could  be.  The  boys,  for  example,  lacked 
the  exercise  and  training  to  be  got  from  doing  chores  and  helping 
with  all  kinds  of  work,  especially  that  of  the  different  seasons 
on  the  farm;  while  the  girls  no  longer  learned  the  arts  of  cooking, 
baking,  sewing,  mending,  darning,  and  general  housework,  as 
girls  once  did.  Therefore  it  gradually  became  evident  that  the 
schools  must  try  to  make  up  in  some  way,  to  some  extent, 
for  these  disadvantages  to  the  children  who  suffered  them, 
if  those  children  were  ever  to  be  reasonably  well  fitted  for 
the  practical  duties  of  life.  So,  one  by  one,  various  things 
which  were  at  first  ridiculed  and  called  "  fads  "  came  to  be  added 
to  the  already  seemingly  overcrowded  courses  of  study.  Manual 
training  was  one  of  the  first  of  them,  but  it  did  not  get  its  rightful 
place  until  after  a  number  of  years  of  agitation  and  the  over- 
coming of  much  opposition. 

As  a  teacher,  under  these  conditions,  Miss  Colver  always 
strove  earnestly  both  to  carry  out  the  prescribed  rules  for 
teachers  and  to  make  her  work  as  successful  as  possible.  A 
soldier  is  no  better  trained  to  obedience  to  those  in  authority 
than  was  she.  In  turn,  she  expected  what  was  right  in  this 
respect  from  those  under  her.  That  made  her  a  strong  disci- 
plinarian. At  the  same  time  she  had  great  sympathy  for  the 
unfortunate  and  the  wayward,  and  she  endeavored  to  be  fair 
always,  to  everyone,  being  willing  in  proper  cases  to  overlook 
all  that  could  well  be  disregarded.  But  she  must  have  order 
and  the  spirit  of  obedience  as  far  as  practicable.  Then,  with 
her  strictness  in  discipline  she  coupled  thoroughness  in  instruc- 


THIRTY  YEARS  OF  SERVICE  275 

tion,  and  sought  thoroughness  in  her  pupils,  a  reflection  undoubt- 
edly of  her  own  training  from  her  childhood  up.  So  far  as  she 
could,  she  stressed,  too,  the  fundamentals  more  than  the  less 
important  matters  in  education.  Punctuality  was  another  thing 
which  she  sought  to  promote,  and  that  she  herself  set  a  splendid 
example  in,  regardless  of  conditions.  To  illustrate:  She  walked 
to  and  from  school,  and  when  the  weather  was  bad  she  simply 
started  earlier  in  the  morning.  These  qualities  in  combination 
with  the  others  which  she  possessed,  including  unusual  self- 
control  and  cheerfulness,  made  her  an  exceptionally  efficient 
teacher,  one  who  worked  faithfully  and  intelligently  for  the 
best  interests  of  her  school  and  of  those  in  it  committed  to  her 
care,  and  one  who  was  respected  accordingly,  but  who  never 
sought  popularity. 

She  still  carried  on  various  studies,  mostly  of  the  more  solid 
sort,  for  her  self-improvement,  particularly  in  such  time  as 
she  might  have  for  doing  it  in  the  evening  and  on  Saturdays, 
instead  of  seeking  amusement.  Nor  did  she  drop  her  music 
when  she  took  up  school  work.  She  continued  to  practice  quite 
regularly  on  the  piano,  and  during  some  of  her  vacations 
attended  a  musical  college  and  took  private  lessons  on  the 
piano  under  special  teachers.  However,  her  hands  were  not 
strong  enough  to  endure  such  long  and  hard  practice  as  was 
required  at  that  stage,  and  she  had  finally,  on  that  account,  to 
give  up  all  thought  of  greater  accomplishment  in  that  direction. 

That  she  was  permanently  compelled  to  desist  from  any 
long,  arduous  practice  on  the  piano  was  in  one  way  a  benefit  to 
her,  in  that  it  removed  a  division  in  her  interests  and  left  her 
to  concentrate  her  attention  more  completely  on  educational 
work,  thus  giving  her  more  time  for  general  advanced  study, 
some  of  which  she  used  to  prepare  herself  for  taking  fur- 
ther examinations.  The  first  of  these  was  an  examination  for 
principals  for  primary  schools,  which  she  took  on  December  27, 
1889,  and  successfully  passed.  A  year  later,  on  December  23, 


276          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

1890,  she  took  and  passed  the  examination  given  for  princi- 
pals for  grammar  schools.  Then,  on  December  27,  1892,  she 
passed  an  examination  given  for  teachers  in  the  high  schools; 
but  the  certificate  awarded  to  her  therefor  she  never  sought  to 
use,  for  she  then  held  a  position  which  she  preferred  to  that  of 
teaching  in  a  high  school. 

She  did  her  most  distinctive  educational  work  as  a  prin- 
cipal, after  the  board  of  education,  on  August  20,  1890,  had 
elected  her  "to  the  position  of  principal  of  the  Horace  Mann 
School."  That  was  a  new  primary  school  which  was  to  be 
opened  on  the  first  of  September.  The  building,  which  was  125.5 
feet  long  by  87.4  feet  wide  and  three  stories  in  height  above  a 
basement,  was  constructed  of  brick  and  contained  fifteen  class- 
rooms and  an  assembly  hall.  It  was  valued  at  $50,000,  the 
furniture  in  it  at  $2,000,  and  the  heating  plant  at  $15,000;  which 
indicated  that  it  was  a  good  building  for  that  time.  It  was 
located  on  the  south  side  of  the  city,  at  the  northeast  corner  of 
Thirty-seventh  Street  and  Princeton  Avenue,  which  was  about  a 
mile  west  and  two  blocks  south  of  where  Miss  Colver  lived,  but 
it  had  an  environment  entirely  different  from  that  of  the  old 
University  neighborhood,  one  more  akin  to  that  surrounding 
the  Union  Stock  Yards,  which  were  about  a  mile  southwest 
of  the  schoolhouse. 

The  parents  who  lived  in  the  district  were  mostly  of  the 
working  class,  born  of  various  nationalities,  who  on  the  whole 
were  pretty  good  citizens.  The  houses  in  which  most  of  them 
lived  were  either  old  frame  or  brick  ones,  usually  two  stories  in 
height,  which  might  be  occupied  by  one  or  two  families.  The 
children  of  the  district  were  the  typical  ones  from  such  parentage 
and  homes,  the  majority  of  them  being  destined  to  become  ordi- 
nary workers,  clerks,  bookkeepers,  stenographers,  and  the  like, 
and  desiring  at  most  an  elementary  school  education  only;  but 
Miss  Colver  always  urged  those  fitted  for  it,  and  who  might  do 
it,  to  go  on  to  high  school  and  then  to  the  University,  or,  in  cer- 


THE  HORACE  MANN  SCHOOL,  CHICAGO 


THE  NATHANAEL  GREENE  SCHOOL,  CHICAGO 


THIRTY  YEARS  OF  SERVICE  277 

tain  cases,  to  the  Normal  School.  Nor  were  there  lacking  chil- 
dren of  a  sort  to  cause  the  principal  of  the  school  a  great  deal  of 
trouble,  while  more  of  the  rowdy  kind  lived  just  outside  of  the 
district  and  came  into  it  whenever  there  was  a  special  oppor- 
tunity for  them  to  do  some  mischief,  apparently  liking  particu- 
larly to  attend  school  entertainments  when  given  in  the  evening. 
For  this  reason  it  was  sometimes  deemed  prudent  to  have  a 
policeman  there  on  such  occasions,  which  may  explain  why  it 
was  that  in  later  years  Miss  Colver  frequently  remarked  when 
she  saw  a  policeman:  "There  is  a  friend  of  ours." 

The  population  of  the  city,  due  partly  to  the  annexation  of 
suburban  territory,  was  more  than  double,  and  the  number  of 
schools  in  the  city  was  more  than  treble,  of  what  they  were 
when  Miss  Colver  began  teaching  in  1882,  the  school  census  of 
1890  giving  the  population  of  the  city  as  1,208,669,  and  the 
number  of  school  buildings  owned  by  the  city  as  219,  with  58 
rented.  The  number  of  teachers  was  3,001,  and  the  total  enrol- 
ment of  pupils,  146,751,  which  was  an  increase  of  11,201  over 
that  of  the  previous  year. 

The  first  superintendent  said:  "The  public  schools  should  be 
sustained  not  only  as  a  political,  but  as  a  philanthropic  measure. 
Education  is  necessary  not  only  for  the  public  safety,  but  for 

the  happiness  of  the  individual In  a  country  of  free 

competition  and  equal  rights,  where  'every  man  is  heir  to  the 
highest  honors  of  the  state,'  a  good  education  is  indispensable 
to  the  full  enjoyment  of  those  rights."  But  a  still  larger  view 
was  taken,  in  the  superintendent's  report  of  1890,  when  Mr. 
George  Howland  said:  "It  is  the  prevailing  theory  that  the 
public  school  is  supported  by  the  state  as  a  means  of  self- 
preservation.  That  this  might  be  a  sufficient  reason  for  its 
existence  is  admitted,  but  the  free  public  school,  I  believe,  rests 
upon  a  broader  and  deeper  basis — upon  the  inalienable  right  of 
childhood  to  an  education  suited  to  the  condition  of  the  society 
hi  which  it  has  its  birth.  Under  any  government  claiming  the 


27&          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

faithful  allegiance  of  its  citizens,  even  to  the  sacrifice  of  life,  the 
citizen,  too,  has  a  claim  upon  the  government  for  an  education 
enabling  him  to  fulfil  his  duties.  The  state  has  a  claim  upon 
the  child  which  no  parent  can  maintain,  and  so,  too,  has  the 
child  a  counterclaim  upon  the  state  which  no  parental  authority 
can  withstand,  and  the  direction  and  extent  of  the  education 
may  be  determined  by  the  state.  The  general  purpose  of  the 
school  may  remain  the  same,  but  the  just  demands  of  the  child 
today  may  be  quite  unlike  those  of  his  brother  of  the  seven- 
teenth century.  The  youth  may  not  enter  gladly  into  his  heri- 
tage, but  it  is  his,  and  he  may  rightfully  be  compelled,  under 
state  guardianship,  to  take  possession  and  enjoy  its  fruits,  till 
he  shall  learn  to  know  and  value  the  worth  of  his  inheritance — 
a  good  education.  Much  more  than  the  three  R's  is  required 
for  the  humblest  citizen  of  the  Great  Republic.  The  ability  to 
spell  out  the  name  on  his  ballot  is  of  little  worth,  unless  he  can 
read  there  the  character  and  purposes  of  those  who  planned  the 
ballot;  unless  he  has  read  something  of  his  country's  history 
and  understands  somewhat  of  the  causes  that  have  made  it 
what  it  is,  and  knows,  too,  of  the  influences  now  active  for  its 
upbuilding  or  its  degradation." 

For  more  than  twenty  years  Miss  Colver  held  the  principal- 
ship  of  the  Horace  Mann  School,  in  Chicago.  She  began  with 
it  as  a  new  primary  school,  started  it  at  the  full  standard  of  that 
day,  and  kept  it  always  in  the  forefront  of  educational  develop- 
ment. She  did  not  object  to  the  locality  in  which  the  school 
was  located,  nor  to  the  class  of  people  and  pupils  as  a  whole  with 
whom  she  had  to  deal;  but  she  felt  perfectly  satisfied  to  work 
among  and  for  them.  Her  only  objection,  if  any,  was  as  to  the 
considerable  number  of  vacant  lots  that  there  were  in  the  dis- 
trict, and  most  of  them  were  rather  unsightly,  too.  She  would 
have  preferred  to  have  had  the  lots  occupied,  and  the  school 
larger  than  it  was,  but  she  did  not  covet  any  other  larger  school. 
On  August  17,  1892,  the  school  was  changed  from  a  primary  to 


THIRTY  YEARS  OF  SERVICE  279 

a  grammar  school.  Every  new  thing  in  educational  ideas, 
methods,  or  equipment,  which  she  thought  would  improve  the 
school,  she  wanted  for  it,  and  if  it  was  something  that  must 
come  through  the  action  of  the  board  of  education  or  of  some 
of  its  officials,  she  none  the  less  usually  got  it  without  unavoid- 
able delay.  In  short,  she  put  her  whole  soul  into  her  school, 
and  gave  it  not  a  little  of  her  own  sterling  character.  In  con- 
sequence, it  soon  became  one  of  the  best  schools  of  its  grade  in 
the  city — a  grammar  school  to  which  visitors  who  were  looking 
for  the  greatest  efficiency  were  frequently  sent. 

That  efficiency  was  to  be  seen,  of  course,  mainly  in  the  work 
of  the  teachers  under  Miss  Colver,  but  it  was  to  be  found  there 
principally  because  they  reflected  her  zeal  and  sought  to  carry 
out  her  methods  and  wishes.  She  was  very  painstaking  and 
thorough  in  training  her  teachers,  and  knew  just  how,  by  placing 
responsibility  on  them,  encouraging  and  sustaining  them,  with 
a  hint  here  and  there,  and  showing  appreciation  for  everything 
worthy  of  it,  to  get  the  best  out  of  them  for  the  school  that  there 
was  in  them.  She  could,  as  a  rule,  develop  and  make  the  most 
of  any  special  talent  that  there  was  in  a  teacher.  One  result  of 
this  was  that  but  few  of  her  teachers  were  ever  willing  to  leave 
the  school,  except  for  the  strongest  of  reasons.  Some  of  the 
teachers  first  assigned  to  the  school  remained  there  as  long  as 
she  did.  But  two  consecutive  head  assistants  became  principals 
of  other  schools;  and  several  others  of  her  teachers  were  pro- 
moted from  her  school  to  the  Normal  and  practice  schools,  while 
some  of  her  teachers  refused  to  take  such  a  promotion,  away 
from  her  school,  although  urged  by  her  to  do  it  as  well  as 
recommended  by  her  for  the  work.  She  was  never  selfish  in 
her  dealings  with  anyone. 

Another  characteristic  of  hers  that  helped  to  make  the 
school  what  it  became  was  the  manifest  interest  which  she 
took  in,  and  the  sincere  enthusiasm  which  she  showed  for,  every 
department  of  the  school  work,  which  in  time  came  to  include, 


280          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

among  other  things  besides  the  regular  courses  of  study,  a 
kindergarten,  special  instruction  in  music,  drawing,  cooking, 
sewing,  physical  culture,  and  manual  training,  which  interest 
of  hers  was  extended  to  expressed  appreciation  for  every  special 
effort  made  by  any  teacher  or  special  teacher  to  make  his  or 
her  work  therein  for  the  school  effective.  The  kindergarten 
was  started  soon  after  the  opening  of  the  school,  not  by  the 
board  of  education,  but  by  the  latter's  granting  the  use  of  a 
room  in  the  school  for  free  kindergarten  classes,  a  kindergarten 
association  to  pay  all  the  expenses  connected  with  the  conduct- 
ing of  such  classes.  Gymnastic  apparatus  for  the  school  was 
ordered  by  the  board  in  the  fall  of  1898,  and  equipment  for 
manual  training  in  May,  1908.  In  January,  1894,  the  board 
made  an  appropriation  of  one  hundred  dollars  "for  the  purchase 
of  a  library"  for  the  school. 

Various  other  activities  were  fostered.  Perhaps  the  most 
important  of  them  was  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  a 
parents'  association  or  club,  which  held  meetings  at  stated 
intervals  and  was  intended  to  interest  the  mothers  of  the  pupils 
in  the  school,  an  incidental  feature  being  to  get  their  organized 
help  toward  providing  necessary  articles  of  clothing  for  needy 
children.  In  November,  1896,  the  board  received  and  granted 
a  petition  from  the  graduates  of  the  school  for  the  use  of  the 
assembly  hall  one  evening  each  month  for  a  literary  society. 
Then  the  school  usually  gave  one  or  more  entertainments, 
perhaps  on  an  average  two  each  year,  for  which  a  small  admis- 
sion fee  was  charged.  They  were  always  great  events  in  the 
school  year.  They  were  allowed  in  order  to  give  the  school 
funds  for  the  purchase  of  articles  deemed  beneficial  for  the 
school  to  have,  but  for  which  the  board  could  not  see  its  way 
clear  to  provide.  When  the  stereopticon  first  came  into  use  as 
an  auxiliary  to  public-school  work,  it  was  taken  up  as  a  private 
enterprise  by  what  was  called  the  "Projection  Club."  This 
was  composed  of  schools  interested  in  it  and  willing  to  contrib- 


THIRTY  YEARS  OF  SERVICE  281 

ute  or  pay  dues  each  year  for  the  purchase  of  lantern  slides 
to  be  used  in  common  by  the  member  schools,  of  which  the 
Horace  Mann  was  one  of  the  first.  Miss  Colver  might  quite 
regularly  be  seen  carrying  back  and  forth  boxes  of  lantern-slides, 
which  were  kept  for  the  club  at  the  board  rooms.  The  stereopti- 
con  for  the  school  and  the  means  for  paying  the  annual  dues  to  the 
club  came  from  the  proceeds  of  some  of  the  entertainments,  which 
also  made  possible  additions  to  the  school  library.  In  1905,  a  sta- 
tion of  the  penny  savings  system  was  established  at  the  school.1 

On  June  2,  1909,  the  board  of  education  voted  to  make 
what  had  been  the  Hartigan  School,  which  was  located  at  4101 
Federal  Street,  near  Root  Street,  a  branch  of  the  Horace  Mann 
School,  the  change  going  into  effect  at  the  beginning  of  the 
new  school  year,  in  September. 

During  the  months  of  January,  February,  and  March,  1910, 
a  school  for  carpenters'  apprentices  was  conducted  at  this  branch 
of  the  Horace  Mann  School,  under  Miss  Colver's  charge.  It 
furnished  a  new  and  severe  test  of  her  power  as  a  disciplinarian, 
but  she  met  it  successfully.  The  ninety  or  more  young  men 
who  attended  the  school  were  from  about  sixteen  to  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  Their  attendance  at  the  school  for  the  three 
months  was  required  by  the  carpenters'  union.  The  subjects 
taught  were  English,  mathematics,  and  architectural  drawing. 
Great  satisfaction  with  the  results  was  expressed. 

When  the  city  became  too  large  for  the  superintendent  alone 
to  look  after  all  of  the  schools,  district  superintendents  were 

1  Among  other  developments  of  the  public-school  system  of  Chicago, 
some  of  which  directly  affected  all  schools  while  others  but  indirectly, 
were  the  appointment  of  a  superintendent  of  compulsory  education  and 
the  employment  of  truant  officers,  the  establishment  of  the  Chicago 
Normal  College,  practice  schools,  industrial  schools  or  courses,  a  parental 
school,  a  department  of  child  study  and  educational  research,  a  bureau  of 
vocational  guidance,  homes  for  delinquents,  centers  for  the  blind,  centers  for 
the  deaf,  centers  for  epileptics,  low-temperature  open-window  rooms,  open- 
air  rooms,  and  an  open-air  school  for  the  tuberculous;  also,  in  some  schools, 
penny  lunch  rooms. 


282         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

appointed  to  assist  him.  Mr.  Leslie  Lewis  was  for  many  years 
the  district  superintendent  of  the  district  in  which  was  included 
the  Horace  Mann  School.  In  1920  Mr.  Lewis  wrote  that  he 
knew  Miss  Colver  well  as  the  principal  of  that  school.  "The 
people  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  school  belonged,  for  the  most 
part,  to  the  laboring  class,  and  many  of  them  were  poor.  Many 
of  them  were  foreigners.  I  found  Miss  Colver  just  the  person 
to  have  charge  of  the  children  that  came  from  such  homes. 
She  was  thoughtful,  kind,  sympathetic,  and  just,  but  at  the 
same  time  firm  in  her  government.  She  seemed  to  get  closer 
to  her  pupils  than  most  teachers  do.  She  always  found  out 
something  about  the  home  life  and  surroundings  of  each  child. 
This  made  them  not  only  trust  and  respect  her  as  a  principal, 
but  love  her  as  a  woman.  She  had,  also,  the  confidence  of  the 
mothers  of  the  neighborhood.  They  seemed  glad  to  place  their 
children  under  her  care." 

With  regard  to  Miss  Colver's  relations  with  her  teachers, 
Mr.  Lewis  said  that  she  was  respected  and  looked  up  to  as  a 
leader  by  her  teachers.  "She  was  thoughtful  and  helpful, 
rather  than  critical.  I  never  knew  one  of  them  who  was  not 
more  than  willing  to  do  whatever  she  wanted  done  and  in  the 
way  she  wanted  it  done.  At  the  same  time  she  did  not  attempt 
to  make  automatons  out  of  them.  She  recognized  the  fact  that 
each  one  had  an  individuality  of  her  own.  She  was  especially 
helpful  to  young  teachers  just  beginning  their  work." 

"Our  relations  as  principal  and  superintendent,"  Mr.  Lewis 
went  on  to  state,  "  were  exceedingly  pleasant.  She  was  thought- 
ful, courteous,  and  always  seemed  to  try  to  anticipate  every 
wish  of  mine.  I  always  enjoyed  my  visits  to  her  school.  It 
was  always  an  inspiration  to  me  to  see  her  among  her  pupils 
and  teachers." 

To  sum  up  as  it  were  in  a  few  words,  Mr.  Lewis  added: 
"  She  did  not  appear  very  much  in  the  limelight.  She  was  too 
shy  and  modest  for  that.  She  was  eminently  successful  as  a 


THIRTY  YEARS  OF  SERVICE  283 

teacher,  and  efficient  as  a  principal.  Hundreds  of  her  old 
pupils  and  many  teachers  look  back  with  gratitude  to  the  years 
spent  with  her,  and  are  grateful  for  what  she  did  for  them." 

The  distinct  musical  ability  and  training  that  Miss  Colver 
had  also  make  peculiarly  interesting  the  statement  of  the  super- 
visor of  music  in  the  elementary  schools  of  Chicago,  that  "Miss 
Colver,  in  my  opinion,  was  a  delightful  principal  in  every  way, 
being  interested  in  all  sides  of  a  child's  development.  She  was 
very  musical,  and  full  of  appreciation  of  the  cultural  effect 
music  had  upon  children.  In  consequence  of  this,  her  school 
always  excelled  musically.  You  cannot  tabulate  the  influence 
for  good  of  such  a  life.  She  radiated  love  and  goodness." 

To  somewhat  of  the  same  general  effect  the  supervisor  of  art 
in  the  elementary  schools  says:  "I  remember  Miss  Colver  very 
well  as  a  fine  principal,  a  big-hearted,  broad-minded  woman,  a 
splendid  support  to  the  teachers  of  art  in  their  work.  The 
fine  points  of  such  work  as  hers  are  not  a  matter  of  record." 

Moreover,  not  only  did  the  regular  teachers  in  the  school 
and  the  special  teachers  of  special  subjects  like  it  there,  but 
cadets,  as  graduates  from  the  Normal  School  were  called,  highly 
appreciated  being  sent  there  for  their  last  training  before  being 
assigned  anywhere  as  teachers,  while  a  teacher  deemed  it  extra- 
good  fortune  to  find  a  vacancy  in  the  teaching  force  of  the 
school  and  to  get  the  assignment  to  it.  So  Miss  Agnes  G. 
White  says  that  she  remembers  well  how  delighted  she  was 
when  she  got  her  assignment  to  the  school  and  knew  that 
she  was  to  be  one  of  Miss  Colver's  teachers.  "Miss  Colver," 
she  goes  on  to  state,  "was  always  at  the  school  before 
any  of  the  teachers.  She  was  a  shining  example  of  the 
punctuality  which  she  expected  of  others.  On  the  first  morning 
of  every  school  term,  no  matter  how  busy  she  was,  she  would 
greet  each  teacher  as  she  entered  the  office  with  a  hearty  hand- 
shake, and  welcome  her  back.  We  all  enjoyed  hearing  her  play 
on  the  piano.  When  she  taught  the  music  in  the  eighth  grade, 


284          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

it  was  a  pleasure  to  listen.  Whenever  we  had  a  performance 
of  any  kind,  she  always  wanted  it  to  be  as  nearly  perfect  as 
possible." 

Miss  White  says  further  that  Miss  Colver  liked  a  merry  joke, 
or  a  bit  of  fun,  now  and  then.  For  instance,  she  says:  "  When 
we  bought  our  stereopticon,  Miss  Colver  rented  some  lantern 
slides,  for  which  she  herself  paid,  and  some  of  them  were  very 
amusing.  One  showed  a  young  lady  with  a  net  chasing  a  butter- 
fly. Miss  Colver  asked  the  children,  'What  teacher  is  that 

like  ?'  They  all  answered, '  Miss — .'  Then  she  said, '  The 

next  slide  will  show  what  she  caught.'  That  showed,  under  the 
net,  on  his  knees — a  man,  which  made  everybody  laugh  good- 
naturedly,  and  heartily." 

Again,  Miss  White  says:  "  We,  as  a  family,  first  knew  Miss 
Colver  as  a  teacher  in  the  McClellan  School,  although  none  of 
us  was  directly  under  her  teaching.  When  an  engineer  at  the 
school  died,  she  gave  to  my  mother  a  sum  of  money  to  buy  food 
and  clothing  for  the  widow  and  children,  as  needed.  That  was 
just  one  of  the  many  such  kindnesses  which  she  showed." 

Concerning  Miss  Colver's  generosity,  Mrs.  W.  A.  Rowley 
says  that  "in  giving,  she  believed  in  not  letting  the  left  hand 
know  what  the  right  hand  did;  but  I  learned,  in  indirect  ways, 
of  families  in  the  district  whom  she  had  helped."  To  the  fore- 
going it  may  be  added  that  in  several  cases  Miss  Colver  made 
up  to  cadets  or  young  teachers  what  she  thought  were  unjust 
shortages  in  the  payments  to  them. 

Miss  Colver  was  a  member  of  the  Immanuel  Baptist  Church 
of  Chicago;  but  she  lived,  rather  than  professed,  her  religion. 
She  was  broad-minded  and  liberal  in  her  views,  welcoming  any 
well-tested  light  furnished  by  sound,  modern  scholarship.  She 
gave  liberally,  but  quietly,  to  help  on  the  work  of  the  church, 
choosing  generally  to  give  the  most  toward  the  objects  to  aid 
which  she  thought  it  would  do  the  most  real  good.  Her  pas- 
tor kept  her  name  on  his  private  list  of  those  whom  he  felt  that 


THIRTY  YEARS  OF  SERVICE  285 

he  could  call  on  in  emergencies  for  financial  aid;  and  on  one 
occasion  she  gave  him  enough  to  enable  him  to  start  a  mission 
school  in  a  needy  neighborhood.  It  was  once  said  of  her  that 
"she  was  always  ready  to  give  freely.  She  was  loyal  in  friend- 
ship; and  one  needed  to  fear  only  her  generosity."  However, 
she  did  not  enjoy  very  much  helping  people  who  appeared  too 
willing  to  have  things  done  for  them.  She  was  always  inter- 
ested in  missionary  and  Salvation  Army  workers,  wherever  she 
met  them. 

Another  characteristic  of  Miss  Colver's  was  her  intense  love 
of  animals  and  birds,  which  is  suggested  in  this  connection  by 
the  statement  of  Mrs.  Rowley  that  Miss  Colver,  on  her  way 
home  from  school,  frequently  went  past  the  house  of  a  woman 
who  raised  chickens  and  had  pet  cats  and  rabbits,  and  that  Miss 
Colver  always  showed  great  interest  in  them.  To  this  it  may 
be  added  that  she  sometimes  borrowed  a  rabbit  or  other  pet 
animal  and  took  it  to  the  school,  or  encouraged  some  child  to 
bring  one,  so  that  she  might  use  it  in  an  object-lesson  to  increase 
the  interest  of  the  children  in  the  dumb  animals,  and  to  impress 
upon  them  their  duty  to  be  kind  to  all  animals.  For  horses, 
in  particular,  she  had  both  admiration  and  sympathy,  the 
latter  especially  for  faithful,  hard-worked  ones.  She  could 
never  bear  to  see  one  mistreated. 

Mrs.  Rowley,  who  was  trained  and  developed  as  a  teacher 
at  the  Horace  Mann  School  and  was  afterward  promoted  to  the 
Parker  Practice  School,  says  that  "Miss  Colver  was  ever  an 
inspiration;  her  philosophy  and  cheer  meant  more  to  me  in 
that  formative  period  of  my  life  than  I  can  tell.  She  was  a 
woman  of  great  character,  great  energy,  and  overflowing  life. 
None  realized  that  more  than  did  those  who  began  their  careers 
as  teachers  under  her  guidance.  Her  untiring  energies  were 
always  employed  for  the  benefit  of  all  who  were  associated  with 
her.  She,  herself,  had  had  splendid  educational  advantages, 
and,  having  also  a  fine  mind,  she  was  able  to  make  the  most  of 


286  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

her  opportunities.  The  effect  was  shown  in  all  of  her  relations 
with  teachers,  parents,  and  children.  In  the  teacher  and  in  the 
child  she  always  looked  for  the  good  which  she  said  was  in 
everyone. 

"  'Never  pull  down,  unless  you  can  build  up,'  she  would  say. 
She  believed  so  thoroughly  in  doing  and  saying  that  which  was 
constructive,  that  she  never  criticized  a  method  of  teaching, 
unless  she  could  follow  it  with  helpful  suggestions,  or  show  a 
better  method.  She  believed  also  in  filling  the  mind  with  good 
thoughts,  and  often  wrote  a  helpful  thought  or  quotation  on  a 
small  blackboard,  which  she  set  in  a  prominent  place  in  the 
corridor,  where  it  could  be  easily  seen  on  entering  the  school. 
That  was  a  morning  greeting,  and  a  splendid  one  with  which 
to  begin  the  day." 

With  regard  to  music,  Mrs.  Rowley  says  that  it  would  be 
difficult  to  overestimate  the  value  of  Miss  Colver's  work  in  it. 
"She  inspired  the  children  to  sing  with  spirit  and  enthusiasm. 
When  she  played  the  patriotic  songs  in  the  assembly  hall  there 
was  not  a  child  who  did  not  feel  a  stronger  love  for  his  country." 

A  few  hints  as  to  what  her  old  pupils  at  the  Horace  Mann 
School  think  of  Miss  Colver  were  obtained  by  Mrs.  Rowley 
from  one  of  those  pupils,  who  told  Mrs.  Rowley  that  he  had 
seen  many  of  the  former  pupils  of  the  school,  and  that  when 
he  mentioned  Miss  Colver's  name  to  them  they  all  spoke  of 
how  much  she  had  meant  to  them,  and  of  her  fairness  in  deal- 
ing with  them.  No  one  to  whom  he  spoke  on  the  subject  had 
anything  but  a  good  word  to  say.  For  himself,  he  declared 
that  she  had  treated  him  very  nicely,  and  that  he  had  nothing 
but  good  memories  of  her.  He  also  emphasized  that  "she 
always  seemed  to  be  fair,"  and  that  "her  dealings  with  the 
children  were  always  square."  Other  points  which  he  men- 
tioned were  that  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Horace  Mann 
School  were  kept  to  the  limit;  that  special  effort  was  made  to 
prepare  the  pupils  to  cope  with  the  conditions  or  difficulties 


THIRTY  YEARS  OF  SERVICE  287 

which  they  would  meet;  that  Miss  Colver  seemed  to  be  very 
full  of  life  and  very  vivacious;  that  she  was  very  patriotic,  and 
was  very  fond  of  music. 

Miss  Colver  never  missed  a  day  from  her  school  work, 
except  in  connection  with  the  loss  of  her  parents.1  She  found 
her  most  frequent  diversion  in  playing  on  the  piano.  She 
attended  some  concerts  and  a  good  many  lectures.  The  latter 
she  endeavored  to  make  doubly  beneficial  by  recounting  at 
school  as  much  of  what  she  had  heard  as  she  thought  would  not 
only  interest,  but  instruct  or  inspire,  the  children.  One  of  her 
summer  vacations  she  spent  chiefly  in  the  study  of  Hebrew, 
attending  with  her  father  a  summer  school  in  Hebrew  that  was 
conducted  by  Dr.  W.  R.  Harper.  A  large  part  of  the  summer 
vacation  of  1893  she  spent  at  the  World's  Columbian  Expo- 
sition, which  was  held  in  Chicago.  During  the  winter  holidays 
of  1895,  she,  with  her  father,  visited  the  Cotton  States  and 
Industrial  Exposition  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  and  visited  the 
Mammoth  Cave  in  Kentucky.  She  also  visited  the  Trans- 
Mississippi  Exposition  at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  in  1898;  the  Pan- 
American  Exposition  at  Buffalo,  New  York,  in  the  summer  of 
1901;  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  at  St.  Louis,  in  1904; 
and  the  Alaska- Yukon-Pacific  Exposition  at  Seattle,  Washing- 
ton, in  1909.  Besides,  she  attended  some  of  the  meetings  of 
the  National  Education  Association  held  in  different  cities,  and 
made  trips  into  Canada,  along  the  Pacific  Coast,  into  Mexico, 
to  Colorado,  to  the  southern  states,  and  back  to  Massachusetts. 
But  some  of  her  vacations  were  spent  mainly  at  home,  being 
varied  by  short  day  trips  to  the  country,  or,  more  often,  by 
boat  trips  or  outings  on  Lake  Michigan. 

One  day  in  March,  1911,  Miss  Colver  was  called  up  on  the 
telephone  from  the  superintendent's  office  and  was  asked  if  she 
would  accept  a  transfer  to  the  Nathanael  Greene  School,  an 

1  Her  mother  died  on  September  12,  1889;  her  father,  on  October  24, 
1896. 


288  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

elementary  school  with  eighteen  rooms  and  an  assembly  hall, 
located  at  the  corner  of  South  Paulina  and  West  Thirty-sixth 
streets,  on  the  west  side  of  the  city.  An  immediate  decision 
was  requested.  Tired,  to  some  extent,  by  the  hard  work  of  the 
winter,  and  not  feeling  quite  as  well  as  she  usually  had  felt,  the 
thought  came  to  her  that  perhaps  the  change  might  be  beneficial, 
and  she  said  that  she  would  take  the  transfer.  The  date  that 
it  was  effected  has  been  given  as  March  21,  while  the  printed 
proceedings  of  the  board  of  education  for  March  22  record  her 
transfer  from  the  principalship  of  the  Horace  Mann  School  to 
that  of  the  Nathanael  Greene  School  as  "under  date  of 
March  13,  1911."  Her  work  at  the  latter  school  showed  the 
same  characteristics  that  marked  her  service  at  the  Horace 
Mann  School,1  but  it  continued  only  until  June  26,  or  the  close 
of  the  school  year,  in  1912. 

Miss  Josephine  C.  Ford,  who  was  the  head  assistant  at  the 
Nathanael  Greene  School,  says:  "I  knew  Miss  Colver  slightly 
for  many  years  before  she  came  as  principal  to  this  school.  I 
knew  that  she  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  having  an  excellent 
school  at  the  Horace  Mann,  and  of  being  a  loyal  friend  to  her 
teachers.  When  she  came  to  us  she  showed  great  tact  in 
generous  and  genuine  approval  of  the  children,  the  teachers, 
and  the  school  work,  and  in  introducing  changes  very  gradually. 
She  was  very  appreciative  of  the  teachers'  efforts,  and  never 
failed  in  giving  credit  where  due,  assuming  none  herself.  Thus 
she  won  our  hearty  co-operation.  She  was  always  cheerful  and 
kind.  She  was  a  woman  of  deep  religious  convictions,  with  a 
strong  sense  of  truth,  justice,  and  right.  This  is  as  I  knew 
Miss  Colver  when  closely  associated  with  her.  She  was  at  the 
Nathanael  Greene  School  less  than  a  year  and  a  half.  During 
that  time  her  health  failed,  and  she  resigned." 

1  Since  then  the  conditions  of  the  neighborhood  and  school  have  so 
changed  that  the  Horace  Mann  School  was,  in  the  fall  of  1919,  made  a  branch 
of  another  school. 


THIRTY  YEARS  OF  SERVICE  289 

Miss  Ford  learned  from  the  two  teachers  in  the  kinder- 
garten at  the  Nathanael  Greene  School  that  they  always  felt 
that  in  Miss  Colver  they  had  a  sincere  friend,  as  well  as  a 
sympathetic  and  just  principal.  They  said  that  "her  interest 
in  and  sympathetic  understanding  of  the  kindergarten  was  a 
constant  inspiration  to  us,  and  a  great  delight  to  our  little 
people.  Again  and  again  she  planned  happy  surprises  for  our 
babies,  and  they,  with  true  childish  instinct,  reciprocated  by 
giving  her  their  unbounded  love  and  confidence.  To  them  she 
was  a  beloved  comrade."  To  this  one  of  the  teachers  added: 
"It  was  a  coincidence  that,  when  I  was  assigned  to  the  Greene 
kindergarten,  I  should  find  that  my  new  principal  was  none 
other  than  my  beloved  Miss  Colver,  who  had  greeted  me  many 
years  before,  at  the  Horace  Mann  School,  on  my  first  day  at 
school.  As  a  child,  I  was  fond  of  Miss  Colver;  she  was  always 
so  cheerful  and  friendly.  I  felt  right  at  home  at  the  Greene, 
for  I  found  my  principal  to  be  the  same  interested  children's 
friend  as  formerly." 

Miss  Lydia  K.  Eck,  who  was  a  teacher  under  Miss  Colver 
both  at  the  Horace  Mann  School  and  at  the  Nathanael  Greene 
School,  recalls  with  evident  pleasure  the  markedly  cordial  spirit 
in  which  Miss  Colver  received  her  when  she  was  sent,  as  a  cadet, 
to  the  Horace  Mann  School;  and  she  says  that  she  frequently 
noticed  that  cadets,  substitutes,  and  visitors,  even  some  who 
met  Miss  Colver  only  once,  would  inquire  about  her  years  after- 
ward, when  the  opportunity  to  do  so  presented  itself.  "She 
was  perfectly  lovely  to  me,"  constituted  the  usual  remark, 
voiced  by  all.  Her  life  was  a  frequent  reflection  of  the  thought 
that  we  pass  this  way  but  once,  and  should  do  now  any  good, 
or  show  any  kindness,  that  we  can.  She  aimed  to  be  the  first 
at  the  school  in  the  morning,  in  order  to  welcome  and  to  inspire 
every  teacher  for  the  day's  work.  The  office  often  rang  with 
the  sounds  of  merriment;  but  work  was  the  standard  of  merit 
in  the  school,  for  both  teachers  and  pupils.  Miss  Colver 


290          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

particularly  urged  and  encouraged  the  teachers  to  take  up  higher 
studies  and  to  continue  their  own  education,  so  as  to  make 
advancement  as  teachers.  She  appreciated  and  commended 
every  worthy  effort  that  anyone  made.  The  feelings  of  others 
were  always  considered  by  her.  Justice  to  all  was  the  keynote 
of  her  dealings  with  teachers,  pupils,  and  parents.  Parents  who 
came  to  complain  generally  went  away  satisfied,  feeling  that 
they  had  found  a  friend.  When  a  parent  was  sent  for  to  be 
advised  of  a  case  that  could  not  well  be  disposed  of  otherwise, 
Miss  Colver  would  always  try  to  find  something  in  the  erring 
pupil  to  commend  before  taking  up  his  fault,  and  she  always 
aimed  to  follow  that  with  the  suggestion  of  a  practical  remedy. 
When  she  kept  a  pupil  after  school,  to  talk  over  with  him  his 
misdeeds,  she  seldom  failed  to  bring  about  the  correctional 
result  desired.  Possessed  herself  of  a  fine  education  and  cul- 
ture, she  met  people  of  all  classes  in  the  spirit  of  simplicity, 
which  "softens  asperities,  bridges  chasms,  and  draws  together 
hands  and  hearts."  The  Horace  Mann  School  was  a  pioneer 
in  the  organization  of  a  parents'  association,  to  keep  the  mothers 
in  closer  touch  with  the  work  of  the  school,  and  to  enlist  their 
aid  for  it.  Some  of  these  mothers  became  so  much  interested 
in  Miss  Colver  personally  that,  after  she  went  to  the  Nathanael 
Greene  School,  they  visited  her  there.  Still  there  were  occasion- 
ally disagreeable  occurrences  and  even  people  that  tried  Miss 
Colver  sorely,  and  then  she  would  often  look  up  to  one  of  the 
pictures  that  she  had  hung  on  the  walls  of  the  office,  which, 
with  its  hills  or  mountains,  would  remind  her  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty-first  Psalm  and  of  the  help  that  comes  from 
above,  which  would  give  her  new  strength  and  composure  for 
her  ordeal.  She  also  drew  others  to  her,  who  came  that  she 
might  give  them  help  and  comfort. 

A  long-time  personal  friend,  who  knew  Miss  Colver  quite 
well  in  her  home  life  in  Chicago,  says  of  her  that  she  dis- 
closed a  character  of  rare  ability  and  tact.  "One  could  not  be 


THIRTY  YEARS  OF  SERVICE  291 

associated  with  her  without  honoring  and  loving  her.  A  host 
of  people — friends,  associates,  and  acquaintances,  will  have 
occasion  to  remember  her  generosity,  geniality,  independence, 
and  energy,  all  of  them  expressed  many  times,  and  in  many 
ways.  But  one  of  her  strongest  characteristics  was  that  of 
strict  adherence  to  what  she  believed  to  be  right.  While  she 
was  a  great  strategist,  she  was  honor  to  the  core.  She  was 
wonderfully  gifted  intellectually  and  her  simplicity  and  sin- 
cerity were  proportionate.  The  influence  of  her  great,  positive 
mind  will  go  on  and  accomplish  great  and  far-reaching  good, 
and  good  only  of  the  hundred-fold  quality." 

Miss  Colver's  determination  to  complete  the  school  year, 
which  ended  on  June  26,  1912,  enabled  her  to  do  it.  But  it 
did  not  seem  as  if  she  had  strength  enough  left  after  that  to 
have  conducted  the  school  another  day.  Nevertheless,  she  yet 
made  out  every  report  required  for  the  term  and  year  closed, 
although  it  was  no  easy  thing  for  her  to  do  under  the  circum- 
stances. 

On  July  2,  1912,  Miss  Colver  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Mr.  Jesse  L.  Rosenberger,  of  Chicago,  and  the  remainder  of 
her  life-story  is  told  as  that  of  Mrs.  Rosenberger. 


PART  V 

JESSE  LEONARD  ROSENBERGER 
AND  HIS  TIMES 


JESSE  LEONARD  ROSENBERGER,  FROM  A  PHOTOGRAPH  TAKEN  AT  THE 
CHICAGO  CAMERA  CLUB  IN  1904 


CHAPTER  I 
PARENTAGE  AND  BIRTHPLACE 

The  name  of  Rosenberger  has  been  a  prominent  one  in  the 
annals  of  Montgomery  County,  Pennsylvania,  since  the  year 
1729,  when  Henry  Rosenberger  settled  in  that  county,  in 
Indian  Creek  Valley,  Franconia  Township.  He  was  a  Men- 
nonite,  who,  like  others  of  his  faith,  had  fled  from  Germany  on 
account  of  religious  persecution.  From  him  was  descended 
Jesse  Rosenberger,  who  was  my  father.1 

My  father's  prospects  and  probably  the  whole  course  of  his 
subsequent  life  I  have  been  led  to  think  were  entirely  changed 
when,  in  his  childhood,  he  lost  his  father.  One  reason  for  my 
thinking  so  is  that  he  used  to  recall  having  heard  that  his  father 
had  boasted  that  when  his  boys  were  old  enough  they  should 
have  their  horses  and  buggies,  which  young  men  there  in  those 
days  considered  were  just  as  necessary  to  their  proper  distinction 
as  some  young  men  now  deem  it  to  be  to  have  their  automobiles. 
That  pointed  toward  a  farmer's  life  for  him,  in  the  home  neigh- 
borhood, although  it  may  be  that  my  father  had  enough  of 
a  roving  or  change-loving  spirit  in  him  to  have  led  him  to  break 
away  from  the  traditional  life  of  the  family. 

'The  line  of  descent,  briefly  stated,  was:  (i)  Henry  Rosenberger; 
(2)  Daniel  Rosenberger;  (3)  David  Rosenberger,  who  married  Ann  Funk, 
and  died  in  1829,  aged  about  eighty  years;  (4)  Christian  Rosenberger, 
who  was  born  about  1773,  married  Elizabeth  Kraut,  and  died  in  1821;  (5) 
Jacob  Rosenberger,  who  was  born  on  August  19,  1797,  married  Mary 
Detwiler,  and  died  on  April  u,  1831;  (6)  Jesse  Rosenberger,  who  was  born 
on  May  i,  1827,  married  Esther  Heim,  and  died  on  March  20,  1909;  (7) 
Jesse  Leonard  Rosenberger. — Rev.  A.  J.  Fretz,  Rosenberger  Family  History 
[Milton,  N.J.],  1906. 

295 


296          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

At  any  rate,  instead  of  his  getting  his  horse  and  buggy  in  his 
youth  and  having  the  way  prepared  for  him  to  become  a  farmer 
in  Montgomery  County,  he  was  early  apprenticed — I  believe 
that  they  called  it  "bound  out" — to  learn  the  trade  of  a  shoe- 
maker. His  early  educational  advantages  were  comparatively 
limited.  What  he  became,  he  became  largely  by  reason  of 
the  mental  qualities  which  he  inherited,  and  by  self-culture. 
He  was  especially  religiously  inclined,  became  a  Baptist,  and 
was  quite  an  active  one  throughout  the  most  of  his  life,  yet  he 
was  ever  just  as  ready  to  work  with  Christians  of  other  denomi- 
nations, when  he  was  where  there  was  no  Baptist  church. 

After  he  had  completed  his  apprenticeship,  he  started  west- 
ward, and  kept  on  going,  from  time  to  time,  for  three  decades. 
He  was  never  strictly  a  pioneer,  but  he  appeared  to  be  attracted 
to  the  newer  settlements.  Thus  it  came  about  that  the  year 
1850  found  him  in  Ohio.  One  evidence  of  that  was  a  certificate 
which  stated  that,  on  June  2,  1850,  Mr.  Jesse  Rosenberger,  of 
Stark  County,  Ohio,  and  Miss  Esther  Heim,1  of  Columbiana 
County,  Ohio,  were  joined  in  holy  matrimony. 

Of  that  marriage  but  two  children  were  born  who  lived  any 
considerable  length  of  time.  One  was  Amos  Rosenberger.2  The 
other  was  myself. 

My  mother,  as  I  remember  her,  was  a  woman  of  medium 
size,  with  regular  features  and  dark  chestnut-colored  hair  that 
tended  toward  black.  She  was  a  woman  of  natural  refinement 
and  good  taste,  a  thorough  Christian,  and  a  model  housekeeper. 
She  was  also  very  discreet,  quiet,  and  unassuming,  yet  self- 
possessed  and  of  great  force  of  character.  Withal,  she  was  a 
very  strict  disciplinarian.  But  for  many  years  she  had  poor 
health  and  suffered  more  or  less  of  the  time;  still,  she  bore  it 

1  Esther  Heim  was  born  in  Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania,  on 
July  16,  1833. 

2  Amos  Rosenberger  was  born  on  May  29,  1852,  and  died  on  February 
14,  1904. 


PARENTAGE  AND  BIRTHPLACE  297 

cheerfully.  I  never  heard  her  spoken  of  by  anyone  except  in 
praise,  even  in  praise  for  the  composed  and  saintly  manner  in 
which  she  departed  this  life,  "in  the  Lord  she  loved,"  as  it  was 
recorded  of  her.1 

From  Ohio,  my  parents  moved  to  Indiana,  and  from  Indiana 
to  Sterling,  Illinois.  In  Sterling,  they  were  charter  members 
of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  that  place.  A  historical  souvenir 
published  in  commemoration  of  the  observance  on  May  31, 
1906,  of  the  semicentennial  of  the  church,  stated  that  Mr.  Jesse 
Rosenberger  was  the  one  "who  first  proposed  the  organizing  of 
this  church."  At  a  meeting  of  the  church  held  on  April  3,  1858, 
letters  of  dismissal  were  voted  to  "Jesse  Rosenberger  and  Esther 
Rosenberger,  to  take  with  them  to  Minnesota." 

Minnesota  was  then  just  entering  upon  statehood.  The 
census  of  1860  gave  its  population  as  172,022,  of  which  number 
two-thirds  were  born  in  the  United  States;  17,289  in  Germany; 
12,869  m  Ireland;  11,692  in  Norway  and  Sweden;  and  the 
remainder  in  other  countries.  Taken  all  together  there  were 
representatives  of  sixteen  different  languages.  In  1850  a  book 
was  published  with  the  title  Sketches  of  Minnesota,  the  New 
England  of  the  West.2  The  reasons  which  were  particularly 
assigned  for  thus  designating  Minnesota  were  its  northern  lati- 
tude and  healthful  climate,  which  were  calculated  to  foster 
habits  of  industry  and  enterprise;  its  extensive  water-power, 
beautiful  scenery,  forests  of  pine,  relative  situation  to  the 
remaining  portion  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  superior  advan- 
tages for  manufacturing  enterprises.  Its  climatic  advantages 
and  great  healthfulness  were  then  and  later  widely  proclaimed. 
But  the  state  became  known  principally  as  one  of  fertile  prairies 
especially  adapted  to  the  raising  of  wheat.  In  size  it  is  about 
one-third  larger  than  all  of  New  England. 

1  Her  death  occurred  on  December  12,  1871. 

2  The  author  was  E.  S.  Seymour,  and  the  publishers  Harper  &  Bros. 


298          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

The  course  usually  followed,  at  about  1858,  in  going  to 
Minnesota,  was,  after  navigation  on  the  Mississippi  had  opened 
in  the  spring,  to  go  to  the  river,  and  to  go  up  the  latter  by 
steamboat.  The  customary  route  from  Chicago  had  been  for 
several  years  to  go  by  railroad  to  Galena,  Illinois,  which  was  the 
starting-point  for  some  of  the  boats;  but  from  1856  there  was 
a  shorter  line  to  the  river  via  Sterling  to  Fulton,  Illinois,  a  town 
about  twenty-six  miles  beyond  Sterling;  and  to  Fulton  one 
would  assuredly  go  from  Sterling,  to  take  a  boat.  Father 
purchased  his  steamboat  tickets  to  Lake  City,  which  was  a 
village  on  the  shore,  a  little  below  the  center  of  the  Minnesota 
side,  of  that  part  of  the  Mississippi  River  called  Lake  Pepin, 
the  lake  being  an  expansion  of  the  river  differing  from  the  other 
portions  of  the  latter  by  its  breadth,  general  depth,  and  free- 
dom from  islands.  The  lake,  the  outlet  of  which  is  just  above 
that  of  the  Chippewa  River,  was  formed  by  a  kind  of  natural 
dam  being  built  of  sand  or  alluvium  which  that  river  brought 
down  and  emptied  into  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  To  many 
minds,  the  lake,  which  is  about  twenty-eight  miles  long  and 
from  two  to  three  miles  wide,  is  the  most  picturesque  and 
beautiful  portion  of  the  great  Father  of  Waters.  Its  setting 
is  particularly  fine,  being  in  steep,  rugged,  verdure-clad  bluffs 
that  rise  from  250  to  400  feet  in  height  and  are  cut  through  or 
separated  at  intervals  by  narrow  ravines,  often  called  "coulees." 
Most  of  the  bluffs  run  lengthwise  with  the  lake,  although 
some  of  them,  as  for  example  those  back  of  Lake  City,  are  of  coni- 
cal or  truncated  form.  The  water  flows  through  the  lake  in  a 
southeasterly  direction,  but  quite  slowly  owing  to  a  lack  of  fall, 
which  is  much  less  than  the  average  elsewhere  in  the  Mississippi. 

Lake  Pepin  has  been  known  to  American  history  for  more 
than  240  years.  In  1680,  Hennepin  called  it  Lac  des  Pleurs  or 
"Lake  of  Tears,"  because,  while  he  and  his  companions  were 
prisoners  of  the  Dakota  or  Sioux  Indians,  they  slept  at  a  point 
of  the  lake,  and  a  chief  who  had  had  a  son  killed  by  the  Miamis 


PARENTAGE  AND  BIRTHPLACE          299 

shed  tears  all  night,  or,  when  he  got  tired,  caused  one  of  his 
sons  to  shed  tears,  in  order  to  excite  his  warriors  to  compassion 
for  him  and  induce  them  to  kill  their  captives  and  pursue  their 
enemies  to  avenge  the  death  of  his  son.1  Penicaut  called  it 
Lac  Bon  Secours,  meaning  "Lake  Good  Help/'  apparently  in 
allusion  to  the  abundance  of  buffaloes  and  other  game  found  in 
its  vicinity.  But  history  has  failed  to  record  for  whom  and  why 
it  was  named  Lake  Pepin.  It  may  have  been  in  honor  of  Pepin 
le  Bref,  king  of  the  Franks  from  752  to  768  and  father  of  Charle- 
magne.2 On  May  8,  1689,  Nicholas  Perrot,  a  French  trader, 
who  was  commandant  for  the  West,  took  formal  possession  for 
the  king  of  France  of  an  extensive  region  which  included  that 
of  the  lake.  In  1700,  Le  Sueur,  in  his  journal,  described  the 
lake  in  a  general  way.  He  said  that  it  was  called  Lake  Pepin; 

1  John   Gilmary  Shea,  Discovery  and  Exploration  of  the   Mississippi 
Valley  (New  York:  Redfield,    1852),  pp.   in,   117,   121.     As   Hennepin 
described  it  at  another  time:     "About  thirty  Leagues  higher  [above  Black 
River]  we  found  the  Lake  of  Tears,  which  we  nam'd  Jo  becauje  the  Savages, 
who  took  us,  as  it  will  be  hereafter  related,  confulted  in  this  Place  what  they 
Jhould  do  with  their  Prijoners;    and  thoje  who  were  for  murthering  us, 
cry'd  all  the  Night  upon  us,  to  oblige,  by  their  Tears,  their  Companions 
to  consent  to  our  Death.    This  Lake  is  form'd  by  the  Meschajipi,  and 
may  be  Jeven  Leagues  long,  and  five  broad.     Its  waters  are  almojt  J  tagnant, 
the  Stream  being  hardly  perceptible  in  the  middle." — A  New  Discovery  of 
a  Vast  Country  in  America.     Reprinted  from  the  second  London  issue  of 
1698  (Chicago:  A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co.,  1903),  I,  222. 

2  Warren  Upham,  Minnesota  Geographic  Names  (St.  Paul:  Minnesota 
Historical   Society   Collections,    1920),   XVII,    557.     On    account  of  the 
lateness  of  his  date,  the  suggestion  seems  hardly  plausible  which  was  made 
by  Neill  and  is  quoted  by  Lafayette  Ho  ugh  ton  Bunnell  in  the  latter's  Winona 
and  Its  Environs  on  the  Mississippi  in  Ancient  and  Modern  Days  (Winona: 
Jones  &  Kroeger,  1897),  p.  57,  namely,  that  the  name  Pepin  might  perhaps 
be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  there  was  a  Jean  Pepin  who  was  related, 
through  his  wife,  to  the  commander  of  an  expedition  sent  in  1727  to  establish 
on  the  lake  a  post  or  fort  that  was  named  Beauharaois,  which  it  was  stated 
was  located  at  Point  de  Sable  (Point  of  Sand),  a  site  subsequently  occupied 
by  the  village  of  Frontenac,  about  six  miles  northwest  of  Lake  City. 


300  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

that  near  it  there  was  a  chain  of  mountains  in  which  there  were 
caves  that  the  bears  retired  into  in  winter;  and  to  this  he  added 
that  it  would  be  dangerous  to  enter  the  caves  in  summer,  because 
they  were  full  of  rattlesnakes.1  The  De  1'Isle  map  of  Canada 
or  New  France  which  was  published  in  1703  shows  the  lake 
with  the  name  "L.  Pepin."2 

The  first  establishment  of  the  French  in  Minnesota,  Neill 
says,  was  on  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Pepin,  a  short  distance 
above  its  mouth.  It  was  called  Fort  Bon  Secours  on  a  map  of 
1700;  but  Fort  Le  Sueur,  and  abandoned,  on  the  De  1'Isle  map 
of  1703;  while  on  a  much  later  map  it  was  correctly  called 
Fort  Perrot.3 

Diagonally  across  from  Lake  City,  so  as  to  be  about  two 
miles  farther  up  Lake  Pepin  and  not  far  from  the  center  of  the 
Wisconsin  shore  of  the  lake,  is  to  be  found  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  and  picturesque  as  well  as  traditionally  interesting 
features  of  the  lake.  It  is  a  bluff  about  400  feet  high,  which 
extends  into  the  lake  as  a  bold  headland  where  there  is  such  a 
bend  in  the  shore  as  to  increase  the  effect  and  to  make  it  appear 
from  some  points  of  view  either  as  if  it  almost  divided,  or  was  at 
the  end  of,  the  lake.  This  bluff  is  also  different  from  the  other 

1  John  Gilmary  Shea,  Early  Voyages  Up  and  Down  the  Mississippi 
(Albany:  Joel  Munsell,  1861),  p.  98. 

3  Edward  Duffield  Neill,  The  History  of  Minnesota  (Philadelphia:  J.  B. 
Lippincott  &  Co.,  1858),  map  opposite  p.  xlii. 

3  Ibid.,  p.  145,  and  note:  "See  Jefferys'  map,  1762"  (opposite  p.  300). 
The  exact  number,  locations,  dates,  and  respective  names  of  the  forts  that 
the  French  built  on  the  shores  of,  or  adjacent  to,  Lake  Pepin,  have  been 
the  subjects  of  a  great  deal  of  discussion  and  have  been  variously  stated, 
due  to  the  impermanence  of  the  forts  and  to  the  indefinite  records  concern- 
ing them.  For  example,  compare  with  the  statements  by  Neill  those  of 
the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica  (nth  ed.,  1911),  XVIII,  552,  that,  "in  1686, 
Nicholas  Perrot,  the  commandant  of  the  West,  built  Fort  St.  Antoine  on 
the  east  bank  of  Lake  Pepin,  in  what  is  now  Pepin  County,  Wisconsin. 
....  In  1762,  Sieur  de  la  Perriere,  acting  as  an  agent  of  the  French  govern- 
ment, established  on  the  west  bank  of  Lake  Pepin  a  fortified  post  (Fort 
Beauharnois),  which  was  to  be  a  headquarters  for  missionaries,  a  trading 
post  and  a  starting-point  for  expeditions  in  search  of  the  'western  sea.'" 


THE  MAIDEN'S  ROCK  ON  LAKE  PEPIN,  AS  PICTURED  IN  1825 


LAKE  CITY,  MINNESOTA,  IN  1867 


PARENTAGE  AND  BIRTHPLACE         301 

bluffs  in  that  vicinity  in  that,  after  a  rather  steep,  tree-decked 
ascent  from  the  edge  of  the  water,  the  last  third  of  its  height 
is  a  cliff  or  perpendicular  face  of  rock.  From  its  top  there  are 
to  be  had  the  best  views  to  be  obtained,  in  any  one  place,  of 
the  northerly  and  the  southerly  portions  of  the  lake  and  of  the 
Minnesota  side  of  it.  The  scene  is  fully  equal  to  that  from  the 
surface  of  the  lake,  if  it  is  not  an  even  more  impressive  one. 
The  spectator  does  not  stand  on  a  pinnacle,  but  on  the  edge  of 
an  extensive,  elevated,  rolling  tableland,  practically  level  with 
the  tops  of  the  bluffs,  and  marked  and  crossmarked  here  and 
there  with  ravines.  A  person  there  sees  before  him,  as  it  were, 
a  large  sunken  lake,  at  the  bottom  of  a  sort  of  natural  amphi- 
theater, the  sides  of  which  are  green,  brown,  black,  or  white 
according  to  the  season  of  the  year.  The  channel  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, which  through  the  upper  half  of  the  lake  is  near  the  Minne- 
sota shore,  crosses  over  close  to  this  point,  which  has  been  a  land- 
mark to  steer  by  as  long  as  boats  have  plied  the  lake,  as  it  has  been 
also  one  of  the  notable  sights  for  the  passengers  on  the  boats. 

There  is  an  interesting  Indian  legend  connected  with  this 
cliff  that  caused  the  latter  to  be  called  the  maiden's  rock,  from 
which  the  whole  bluff  or  point  came  to  be  designated  "  Maiden's 
Rock,"  and  finally  "Maiden  Rock."  The  legend,  in  brief,  is 
that  an  Indian  girl  of  the  Dakotas,  whose  name  was  Winona, 
became  strongly  attached  to  a  young  hunter  of  the  same  tribe 
by  the  ties  of  mutual  love  and  waited  only  for  satisfactory 
arrangements  to  be  made  with  her  parents,  before  devotedly 
taking  up,  as  his  wife,  the  burdens  of  an  Indian  woman's  married 
life.  Instead,  however,  of  her  lover  being  able  to  purchase  her, 
as  was  the  custom,  from  her  parents,  they  had  him  driven  off 
into  the  forest,  and  they  informed  her  that  they  had  made  a 
bargain  that  she  should  become  the  wife  of  a  warrior  who  had 
won  distinction  in  defending  their  village  against  the  Chippe- 
was  and  wanted  her,  but  for  whom  she  had  no  affection.  That 
all  occurred  at  the  village  of  Keoxa,  where  is  now  the  city  of 
Winona.  The  tribe  was  that  of  Wapasha.  The  time  was 


302          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

somewhere  between  1750  and  1800.  Then  a  band  of  the 
Indians,  which  included  Winona  and  her  parents  and  the  war- 
rior, took  their  canoes  and  went  up  to  Lake  Pepin  to  get  a  supply 
of  the  blue  clay  which  they  could  obtain  there  and  were  wont 
to  use  as  a  pigment.  They  also  planned  to  do  some  hunting  and 
fishing  there.  They  stopped  at  this  point,  and  encamped  at 
the  base  of  the  bluff,  where  there  was  a  good  shelter  from  high 
winds,  plenty  of  shade,  and  a  bubbling  spring  of  clear,  cool 
water.  In  that  delightful  place,  much  like  a  lovers'  retreat, 
the  warrior  urged  anew  to  have  Winona  made  his  wife,  and  her 
parents  told  her  that  there  could  be  no  more  delay,  but  that  she 
must,  on  that  very  day,  become  the  wife  of  the  warrior.  That 
she  was  determined  she  would  not  do.  So,  true  to  her  young 
lover,  the  hunter,  she  ascended  alone  to  the  top  of  the  cliff, 
sang  or  chanted  a  dirge,  and  threw  herself  over  the  precipice 
to  her  death. 

There  are  a  number  of  different  accounts  of  this  "lover's 
leap,"  several  of  them  being  in  poems  entitled  "Winona,"  each 
account,  whether  in  prose  or  in  poetry,  varying  from  the  others 
in  some  of  its  details,  yet  all  alike  emphasizing  her  faithfulness 
in  her  love.  What  is  probably  the  oldest  record  of  it,  and  the 
one  which,  directly  or  indirectly,  most  likely  furnishes  the  basis 
of  all  the  other  stories  about  it,  is  that  preserved  by  Keating, 
who  gave  it  as  a  quotation  from  an  Indian  guide.  Further- 
more, Keating  said  that  the  story  was  told  to  Major  Long  in 
1817  by  an  aged  Indian,  who  avowed  that  he  was  present, 
although  he  was  at  the  time  quite  young,  when  the  tragedy 
occurred,  of  which  he  spoke  with  considerable  feeling.1 

But  the  scenic  beauty  of  Lake  Pepin  is  one  thing,  and  its 
fitful  temper  is  quite  another.  Fairly  placid  a  large  portion  of 

1  William  H.  Keating,  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  to  the  Source  of  the 
St.  Peter's  River  (London:  G.  B.  Whittaker,  1825),  I,  290-93.  One  of  the 
four  illustrations  in  the  volume  is,  on  account  of  its  early  date,  of  special 
interest,  it  being  of  "The  Maiden's  Rock  on  Lake  Pepin,"  or  "The  Maiden's 
Rock  on  the  Mississippi,"  and  based  on  a  sketch  that  was  said  to  have  been 
made  in  1817.  It  is  reproduced  facing  page  301. 


PARENTAGE  AND  BIRTHPLACE         303 

the  time,  it  is  notoriously  subject  to  being  swept  by  sudden 
squalls,  and  it  frequently  becomes  turbulent  to  a  surprising 
degree,  and  often  with  astonishing  quickness,  as  storms  pass 
over  it.  The  steamboats  built  for  the  navigation  of  the  Upper 
Mississippi,  being  of  the  flat-bottomed  type,  adapted  to  places 
of  shallow  water  and  not  for  rough  seas,  were  times  without 
number  tied  up  in  some  protected  place  when  they  reached 
the  lake  during  a  heavy  storm;  or  under  some  circumstances 
they  went  through  the  lake  without  landing,  which  latter 
was  what  the  boat  did  that  father  was  on,  with  his  family  and 
household  goods.  The  captain  decided  that,  on  account  of  the 
conditions  due  to  a  strong  wind,  it  would  be  inadvisable  to  try 
to  stop  at  Lake  City.  The  passengers  and  freight  for  that  place 
were  kept  on  the  boat  and  landed  on  the  down  trip.  Father 
was  offered  the  privilege  of  stopping  at  St.  Paul,  but  he  pre- 
ferred to  go  to  Lake  City,  about  sixty-four  miles  by  water  south 
of  St.  Paul.  Nor  is  it  certain  that  he  would  have  gained  any- 
thing by  it  if  he  had  chosen  to  remain  in  St.  Paul,  for  he  was 
no  speculator,  and  not  a  particularly  shrewd  investor. 

Lake  City  was  quite  an  important  "  river  town,"  as  the 
designation  was  in  those  days,  it  being  practically  the  only  one 
on  the  lake,  that  is,  between  the  towns  at  the  head  and  the  foot 
of  the  lake.  It  had  been  laid  out  only  two  years,  but  that  may 
have  been  owing  largely  to  the  fact  that  after  the  Sioux  Indians 
had  been  removed  from  that  part  of  the  state,  a  strip  of  land 
along  that  side  of  the  lake  and  extending  back  for  fifteen  miles 
had  been  reserved  for  the  half-breeds.  The  site  on  which  Lake 
City  was  built  was  part  of  a  large,  sandy  flat  that  was  a  number  of 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  lake,  the  range  of  bluffs  being  some 
distance  back  and  having,  through  it,  a  ravine  or  opening  that 
formed  a  natural  passageway  leading  to  a  good  farming  country 
of  prairie  land,  which  required  this  shipping  point  and  market. 

That  there  was  a  natural  attractiveness  in  that  site  was 
shown  by  the  fact  that  a  part  of  it  had  once  been  occupied  by 
the  mound-builders.  One  of  the  early  white  settlers  counted 


304  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

about  a  hundred  round  mounds  there,  occupying,  perhaps,  a 
space  of  thirty  acres.  It  was  his  assumption  that  those  mounds 
were  the  remains  of  what  had  originally  been  turf  houses,  in  a 
regularly  laid-out  town  or  city.  He  said  that  there  was  in  the 
center  of  the  place  and  of  the  widest  street  in  it  a  mound  much 
larger  than  the  rest,  where  he  thought  very  probably  had  been 
the  headquarters — the  residence  of  the  chief,  or  it  might  have 
been  the  town  hall.  Another  large  mound,  just  in  the  rear  of 
the  city  of  mounds,  he  believed  to  be  what  was  left  of  a  pottery, 
while  certain  elongated  mounds  were  the  remains  of  fortifica- 
tions, there  being  back  of  all  a  line  of  outposts  with  wings 
extending  to  the  lake.1  At  least,  the  various  mounds  were 
there,  arranged  according  to  some  plan. 

I  was  born  in  Lake  City,  Minnesota,  on  January  6,  1860. 
The  name  "Jesse"  was  given  to  me  because  that  was  my 
father's  name,  and  the  middle  name  "Leonard"  on  account  of 
its  having  been  the  name  of  my  grandfather  Heim. 

Just  how  much  farming  my  father  did  before  he  went  to 
Minnesota,  I  do  not  remember  ever  to  have  heard.  But  there 
he  got  a  farm  that  was  about  ten  miles  west  or  back  of  Lake 
City.  On  that  we  lived  during  the  summer.  In  the  fall  we 
moved  into  town,  where,  through  the  winter,  father  worked  at 
his  trade  of  shoemaking — moving  out  on  to  the  farm  again  in 
the  early  spring.  Father  never  idled.  He  was  a  man  who 
wanted  always  to  be  doing  something  useful. 

Relative  to  the  Civil  War,  the  most  that  I  can  recall  now 
is  the  influence  which  it  had  in  determining  the  principal  toys 
and  play  of  boys.  The  most  common  and  most  desired  toys 
then  were  representations  of  soldiers,  swords,  guns,  and  cannon, 
small  drums,  and  bugles;  while  the  play  of  boys  was  largely 
that  of  being  soldiers  and  of  some  form  of  warfare.  Then,  in 
our  family  as  in  many  another  a  "dandelion  coffee"  that  was 

1  Dr.  L.  C.  Estes,  "The  Antiquities  on  the  Bank  of  the  Mississippi 
River  and  Lake  Pepin, "  Annual  Report  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution  for  the  Year  1866  (Washington:  Government  Printing 
Office,  1872),  pp.  366-67. 


PARENTAGE  AND  BIRTHPLACE  305 

made  chiefly  of  the  dried,  roasted,  and  ground  roots  of  dande- 
lions was  used  as  a  substitute  for  pure  coffee;  and  our  folks 
came  to  have  such  a  preference  for  it,  by  reason  of  its  mildness, 
that  it  was  afterward  used  in  our  home  as  long  as  it  could  be 
purchased  at  the  stores. 

More  vivid  and  enduring  than  the  impression  that  was  made 
at  any  time  on  my  young  mind  by  the  Civil  War  as  a  war  was 
that  of  the  Sioux  Massacre,  not  directly,  but  indirectly,  as  the 
outbreak  occurred  in  August,  1862,  when  I  was  less  than  two 
years  old.  It  was  practically  suppressed  within  two  months. 
But  the  widespread  fear  and  horror  which  it  induced  in  Minne- 
sota continued  long,  and  there  were  expeditions  against  the 
Indians  in  1863  and  1864.  Minnesota  had  in  earlier  times  been 
"the  land  of  the  Dakotas"  or  Sioux  Indians,  who  in  1862  were 
for  the  most  part  living  on  a  reservation  in  the  interior  of  the 
state.  The  scene  of  the  massacre  was  only  a  hundred  miles  or 
so  west  of  Lake  City,  which  was  one  of  the  places  to  which 
the  panic-stricken  refugees  fled,  on  the  way  hiding  by  day  in 
the  tall  prairie  grass,  bushes,  or  wherever  they  could.  With  the 
exception  of  a  few  friendly  ones,  the  Indians  showed  no  mercy, 
but  brutally  killed  men,  women,  and  children.  It  was  esti- 
mated that  probably  not  less  than  thirty  thousand  persons  were 
involved,  in  one  way  or  another,  either  in  the  loss  of  life  or  in 
the  loss  of  property  from  pillage,  destruction,  or  abandonment. 
Again,  it  has  been  stated  that  "more  white  people  perished  in 
that  savage  slaughter  than  in  all  the  other  massacres  ever 
perpetrated  on  the  North  American  continent.  Add  the  num- 
ber of  white  victims  of  the  Indian  wars  of  New  England  during 
the  colonial  period  to  the  list  of  those  who  perished  in  the 
Wyoming  and  Cherry  valleys,  and  to  the  pioneers  who  were 
killed  in  the  early  white  occupation  of  the  Middle  West  and 
South,  and  the  aggregate  falls  far  short  of  the  number  of  people 
in  Minnesota  who  were  slain  by  the  Sioux  in  less  than  one  week."1 

1  Minnesota  in  Three  Centuries  ([New  York:]  The  Publishing  Society  of 
Minnesota,  1908),  III,  p.  269. 


306          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Perhaps,  however,  the  strongest  and  most  lasting  early 
impression  that  was  made  on  my  mind  was  made  by  the  death 
of  the  father  of  one  of  my  playmates  in  Lake  City,  which  was 
caused  by  a  slight  cut  received  from  a  razor  with  which  a  barber 
had  previously  shaved  a  man  who  had  a  cancer. 

The  portion  of  Lake  City  which  I  most  distinctly  recall  to 
mind  is  not  that  where  we  lived,  but  "the  point,"  a  sandy 
extension  into  Lake  Pepin.  On  the  point,  which  inclosed  a 
triangular-shaped  pond,  there  were  warehouses,  icehouses,  and, 
above  all  for  me,  "  Brown's  Hotel,"  a  brownish,  somewhat  long, 
two-story  frame  building  facing  the  water  toward  the  south. 
What  called  for  those  structures  there  was  the  fact  that  the 
steamboats  generally  landed  at  the  point,  the  boats  making  a 
specialty  of  carrying  passengers  usually  landing  on  the  south 
side  of  it,  opposite  to  or  near  the  hotel,  although  the  side  of 
the  point  on  which  boats  landed  was  often  determined  by  the 
direction  and  force  of  the  wind  at  the  time,  for  it  paid  to  be 
cautious  when  there  were  high  winds  or  storms  on  the  lake. 

My  special  interest  in  the  hotel  was  due  to  the  fact  that  our 
family  and  the  Browns  were  warm  friends,  so  that  we  some- 
times visited  there,  or  made  it  convenient  to  patronize  the  hotel. 
It  was  a  typical  hotel  of  early  days;  but  one  without  a  bar. 
It  had  on  the  first  floor  an  office,  a  ladies'  parlor,  a  dining-room, 
and  a  kitchen.  On  the  floor  above  were  the  simply  furnished 
rooms  for  guests.  The  lighting  was  done  with  kerosene  lamps. 
For  the  heating  as  well  as  for  the  cooking  wood  stoves  were 
employed.  There  was  no  running  water  in  the  house.  Nor 
was  there  any  bathroom.  Consequently  there  was  little  or  no 
plumbing  of  any  kind.  The  water  that  was  used  was  obtained 
from  a  well  by  the  means  of  an  ordinary  pump.  In  the  dining- 
room,  there  were  a  couple  of  long  tables  on  which  all  of  the  food 
was  placed,  in  quantity,  in  large  dishes  from  which  each  person 
was  expected  to  help  himself  to  as  much  as  he  wished.  The 
serving  of  individual  portions  was  not  thought  of  as  a  rule;  nor 


PARENTAGE  AND  BIRTHPLACE  307 

would  it  have  suited  the  average  traveler  in  those  times  as  well 
as  the  home  style  followed.  What  was  wanted,  and  what  was 
furnished  there,  was  an  abundance  of  plain,  substantial,  well- 
cooked  food,  with  something  by  way  of  relishes  and  desserts. 
Across  the  road  back  of  the  hotel,  there  was  a  commodious 
stable,  which  was  necessary  in  order  to  care  for  the  country 
trade,  and  for  travelers  overland.  Indeed,  Lake  City  was  for 
many  years  more  or  less  of  a  trading  center  for  almost  as  large 
a  section  of  Wisconsin  as  that  primarily  served  in  Minnesota, 
the  people  crossing  over  the  lake  on  the  ice  in  whiter,  and  by 
boats  at  other  seasons. 

The  earliest  entertainment  that  I  remember  anything  about 
was  a  concert  at  which  Miss  Brown,  the  daughter  of  the  hotel- 
keeper,  sang  a  piece  that  referred  to  the  Indian  massacre;  and 
the  first  few  lines  of  the  piece  constitute  the  bit  of  formal 
composition  which  I  have  the  longest  remembered.1 

When  I  was  at  Brown's  Hotel  for  the  last  time,  I  heard 
Miss  Brown  tell  a  strange  story  of  a  peculiar  attraction  which 
she  sometimes  seemed  to  possess.  It  was  an  attraction  of 
insane  persons.  She  illustrated  this  by  relating  several  instances 
in  which  persons  got  off  the  boats  and  went  to  the  hotel,  without 
anyone  there  knowing  or  suspecting  them  to  be  insane,  until 
after  she  had  but  narrowly  escaped  from  thrilling  and  dangerous 
encounters  with  them,  which  revealed  them  as  madmen  espe- 
cially attracted  to  her. 

1  The  lines  referred  to  were: 

"Minnehaha,  laughing  water, 

Cease  thy  laughing  now  for  aye, 
Savage  hands  are  red  with  slaughter 
Of  the  innocent  today." 

I  cannot  say  whether  the  words  of  the  song  were  the  same  throughout  as 
the  poem  beginning  with  those  lines  quoted  by  Harriet  E.  Bishop  McConkey 
in  her  Dakota  War  Whoop:  or,  Indian  Massacres  and  War  in  Minnesota 
of  1862-63  (rev.  ed.,  St.  Paul,  1864),  pp.  194-95. 


CHAPTER  II 
VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879 

After  the  fall  work  was  done  in  1866,  father  and  mother, 
taking  me  with  them,  went  East  for  a  winter's  visit  among  their 
relatives  and  their  early  friends,  going  as  far  as  Philadelphia, 
and  into  Montgomery  County,  Pennsylvania,  but  stopping  on 
the  way  in  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  Ohio.  It  was  too  late  in  the 
season  to  go  down  the  Mississippi  by  steamboat  to  a  convenient 
railroad  point.  Consequently  the  first  portion  of  the  journey, 
a  distance  of  about  seventy  miles,  had  to  be  made  by  stagecoach, 
namely,  to  La  Crosse,  Wisconsin,  from  which  place  there  was 
then  railroad  transportation.  The  trip,  taken  all  in  all,  was  to 
me  of  some  educational  value  and  of  considerable  pleasure 
in  various  ways.  Many  of  the  customs  of  the  people  whom  we 
met,  especially  in  Pennsylvania,  were  different  from  those  that 
I  had  been  used  to  in  the  West,  yet  I  found  most  or  all  of  them 
agreeable.  We  had  some  minor  accidents  and  troubles  along 
the  route,  which  father  insisted  were  due  to  our  having  started 
on  Sunday.  His  views  with  regard  to  that,  being  repeated 
from  time  to  time,  made  such  a  strong  impression  on  my  mind, 
as  with  other  considerations  tended  to  make  me  ever  averse  to 
beginning  any  journey  on  Sunday,  which  for  many  persons 
seems  for  some  reason  to  be  a  favorite  time  for  it.  But  on  the 
whole  all  had  a  very  enjoyable  winter,  and  one  that  was  after- 
ward looked  back  upon  with  considerable  satisfaction.  Never- 
theless, father  expressed  relief  when  it  was  over,  because,  while 
he  liked  good  living,  he  said  that  he  had  had  altogether  too 
much  of  it — too  much  pastry,  preserves,  and  such  things, 
without  enough  exercise  to  offset  them.  Nor  did  he  quite 
relish  such  long  enforced  idleness. 

308 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  309 

Instead  of  our  returning  to  Lake  City,  and  to  the  farm  back 
of  it,  to  live,  in  the  spring  of  1867  father  bought  a  new  home 
for  us,  in  the  village  of  Maiden  Rock,  Wisconsin,  which  is  about 
nine  or  ten  miles  in  a  northerly  direction  from  Lake  City,  or 
across  and  on  the  other  shore  of  Lake  Pepin,  and  about  four 
miles  up  the  lake  from  the  point  called  Maiden  Rock.  The 
village  was  originally  called  Harrisburg,  but  its  name  was  soon 
changed  to  Maiden  Rock,  on  account  of  its  nearness  to  and  fine 
view  of  the  bluff  of  that  name.  The  village  is  situated  at  the 
mouth  of  a  comparatively  narrow  ravine  where  that  terminates 
at  the  lake,  just  below  where  the  Rush  River,  a  stream  of  about 
thirty-five  miles  in  length,  empties  into  the  lake  and  the  shore 
of  the  latter  bends  toward  the  Minnesota  side  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  form  a  sort  of  cove  or  corner  of  the  lake.  Several  per- 
manent settlers  came  there  in  1855,  and  that  fall  the  erection  of 
a  sawmill  was  commenced.  During  the  following  year  a  few 
more  settlers  arrived,  and  a  shingle-mill  was  built  in  connection 
with  the  sawmill.  A  special  post-office  was  established  under 
an  arrangement  by  which  the  postmaster  was  to  have  the 
receipts  of  the  office  and  to  pay  for  the  carrying  of  the  mail 
from  and  to  the  nearest  regular  post-office,  the  result  being  that 
he  received  eleven  dollars  for  the  first  year  and  had  fifty  dollars 
to  pay.  The  first  regular  religious  services  were  held  in  a  pri- 
vate house  in  the  spring  of  1856,  by  a  Methodist  mission- 
ary. The  first  school  was  taught  by  a  young  woman  from 
Illinois,  who  had  thirteen  pupils.  The  village  was  platted  in 

1857-' 

Because  of  its  accessibility,  a  small  village  was  needed  in  just 
that  place  by  the  slowly-developing  farming  country  back  of 
it.  But  in  early  days  it  suffered  the  disadvantage  of  being 
enough  off  the  shortest  course  for  the  boats,  along  the  main 
channel  of  the  Mississippi  through  the  lake,  so  that  they,  having 

1  History  of  Northern  Wisconsin  (Chicago:  The  Western  Historical 
Co.,  1881),  pp.  714-15. 


310  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

a  monopoly  of  the  transportation  for  that  region,  would  not 
take  the  trouble  to  go  out  of  their  way  to  stop  there,  unless 
they  had  a  great  deal  of  freight  to  land  or  to  get,  as  a  rule 
leaving  at  Lake  City  the  freight  and  the  passengers  for  Maiden 
Rock.  Nor  was  the  site  of  the  village  a  good  one  for  much 
development.  There  was  room  in  the  mouth  of  the  ravine 
for  only  a  limited  number  of  buildings,  which  was  pretty  well 
taken  up  by  the  first  stores,  shops,  hotel,  schoolhouse,  and  a 
few  dwellings.  Therefore  the  village  remained  small,  and  a  great 
many  people  went  through  it,  and  some  from  it,  to  the  larger 
market  at  Lake  City,  to  sell  their  produce  or  to  buy  goods,  when 
they  thought  that  it  would  pay  them  to  do  so. 

In  the  village  of  Maiden  Rock  there  were,  when  we  went 
there  in  1867,  as  I  now  remember  it,  something  like  fifty  frame 
buildings,  all  told,  of  which  about  a  dozen  were  used  for  business 
purposes  and  the  remainder  to  house  a  population  of  from  125 
to  150  persons,  counting  young  and  old.  There  were  two  or 
three  general  stores,  in  one  of  which  was  the  post-office,  a 
hardware  store  and  tinshop  in  a  stone  building  the  second  story 
of  which  was  used  as  a  public  hall,  a  warehouse,  two  blacksmith- 
shops,  a  wagon-shop,  a  harness-shop,  two  carpenter  shops,  a 
hotel,  a  boarding-house,  a  schoolhouse  that  was  used  also  for 
meetings,  and  two  old  mills.  The  two  mills  were  no  longer 
being  operated,  but  they  were  afterward  converted  into  one 
for  the  manufacture  of  staves  and  heading,  in  conjunction  with 
which  there  was  established  a  cooper-shop  in  which  barrels 
were  made  to  pack  the  heading  in  for  shipment.  The  ravine 
ran  approximately  from  east  to  west  to  the  lake  and  terminated 
between  two  bluffs  that  were  locally  usually  referred  to  as  hills, 
the  one  extending  north,  and  the  other  south.  The  hotel  was 
located  on  the  somewhat  narrow  and  mostly  stony  lake  shore, 
just  at  the  foot  of  the  south  hill.  A  little  farther  south  were  the 
mills,  and  then  the  warehouse.  The  front  end  of  the  warehouse 
was  something  like  8  or  10  feet  above  the  edge  of  the  lake, 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  311 

with  a  pier  extending  into  the  water,  while  the  other  end  of  the 
building  almost  touched  the  hill,  which  was  there  quite  steep, 
the  space  between  them  being  bridged  over,  near  the  top  of  the 
warehouse,  in  such  a  manner  that  a  car  or  hopper  could  be  run 
out  to  receive  the  grain  from  the  farmers'  wagons  or  sleds  on 
a  road  on  the  hillside,  thus  doing  away  with  an^  need  of  an 
elevator  for  the  grain.  Afterward  a  second  warehouse  was 
built,  on  the  same  plan,  between  the  first  one  and  the  mill. 
Farther  south  there  was  a  limekiln,  near  "Rattlesnake  Hollow," 
and  over  a  mile  distant,  on  a  creek,  there  was  a  gristmill. 

I  have  gone  thus  into  detail,  in  this  enumeration,  because 
almost  every  one  of  those  places  entered  more  or  less,  in  one 
way  or  another,  into,  and  formed  a  part  of,  my  life.  As  boys 
are  generally  wont  to  do,  I  watched  the  work  in  each  and  all, 
and  participated  in  some  portions  of  most  of  it.  Especially  did 
the  wagon-shop,  the  blacksmith-shops,  and  the  tinshop  attract 
me,  the  wagon-maker  in  particular  sometimes  letting  me  use 
some  of  his  tools  and  a  workbench. 

But  there  was  one  other  shop,  which  was  opened  just  after 
our  arrival,  that  meant  even  more  to  me  than  did  all  of  the 
others.  It  was  my  father's  shoeshop.  I  presume  that  one 
reason  why  father  went  to  Maiden  Rock  was  because  there 
had  never  been  a  shoemaker  there  and  one  was  needed.  For 
years  father  had  his  shop  in  a  room  over  one  of  the  general 
stores  that  were  located  at  the  intersection  of  the  two  streets 
or  rather  roads  in  the  village,  the  one  running  down  through  the 
center  of  the  ravine,  and  the  other  at  right  angles  across  its 
lower  end  and  going  up  about  one-third  of  the  way  on  to  the 
side  facing  the  lake  of  the  north  and  south  hills,  along  both 
of  which  it  ran,  to  the  north,  and  to  the  south.  I  naturally  spent 
a  great  deal  of  time  in  father's  shop  and  learned  from  obser- 
vation considerable  about  shoemaking,  yet  without  any  thought 
of  ever  learning  the  trade  and,  perhaps  because  I  was  too  young 
for  it,  without  ever  being  asked  to  do  any  more  than  to  stay  in 


312          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

the  shop  to  wait  on  customers,  so  far  as  I  could  do  it,  when 
father  had  to  be  away.  Still,  I  liked  to  watch  the  work,  to  use 
the  tools,  and  to  make  and  to  use  waxed  ends.  I  even  made 
one  or  two  tiny  boots  of  an  inch  or  two  in  size;  but  I  never  did 
any  real  shoemaking. 

This  shows  some  of  my  boyish  interests,  but  it  has  a  greater 
value,  I  hope,  in  illustrating  some  of  the  advantages  which  a 
small  village,  such  as  Maiden  Rock  was,  has  for  the  devel- 
opment of  a  boy  intellectually  and  mechanically,  while  its 
benefits  for  him  physically  are  no  less  apparent,  for  there  he  has 
plenty  of  pure  air  to  breathe  and  an  abundance  of  room  in 
which  to  play,  as  well  as  being  compelled  there  generally  to 
lead  a  simple  life  close  to  nature.  As  indicated,  he  has  there 
not  only  an  exceptional  opportunity  to  learn  much  by  seeing 
how  the  different  things  making  up  the  round  of  ordinary  life 
are  done,  but  he  has  also  a  good  chance  to  increase  his  knowledge 
and  manual  ability  by  trying  to  do  some  of  them,  where  men 
are  not  always  too  busy  to  be  bothered  with  him.  In  fact,  he 
soon  knows  every  person  in  the  village,  and  something  about 
everyone's  business,  and  how  it  is  conducted.  In  addition,  he 
has  his  chores  to  do  at  home,  which  aid  in  building  him  up 
physically  and  in  training  him  mentally.  His  very  deprivations 
tend  to  teach  him  how  to  get  along  without  many  things,  as 
well  as  how  to  make  or  to  repair  others,  which  develops  in  him 
initiative,  resourcefulness,  and  skill,  while  he  finds  an  incentive 
to  work  and  to  study  to  improve  his  future  prospects.  Further- 
more, everybody  that  he  knows  in  the  village  knows  him  just 
as  well,  and  what  he  does,  which  has  a  very  wholesome  restraining 
influence  on  him,  and  spurs  him  on  not  a  little  toward  doing 
what  is  right.  At  least,  so  it  seems  to  me,  as  I  think  over  these 
things,  although  many  of  the  conditions  of  village  life  are 
different  now  from  what  they  were  when  I  was  a  boy,  which 
furnishes  perhaps  the  greatest  reason  for  recording  what  they 
were  then. 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  313 

Some  of  the  dwelling-houses  of  the  village  had  been  built 
along  the  line  of  the  road  on  the  side  of  the  two  hills  facing  the 
lake,  several  of  them  on  the  north  hill,  but  more  of  them  on  the 
south  hill.  The  lake  shore  was  not  desirable  for  residence  pur- 
poses; the  lower  part  of  the  hills  was  too  steep  for  it;  and  no 
one  wanted  to  go  above  where  the  road  went  along  the  hill- 
side. Our  house  was  on  the  south  hill,  back  of  the  road,  a  few 
hundred  feet  south  of  what  was  the  "top  of  the  hill"  so  far  as 
the  road  was  concerned,  and  almost  directly  above  the  old  mills 
that  stood  on  the  lake  shore.  The  house,  the  outside  of  which 
was  covered,  as  were  the  most  of  the  frame  houses,  with  drop 
or  lapped  siding,  was  painted  white,  was  two  stories  in  height, 
and  consisted  of  a  main  part  and  a  wing.  It  was  built  into  the 
side  of  the  hill  in  such  a  way  that  the  rear  of  the  second  story 
was  on  a  level  with  the  ground  and  could  be  reached  by  a  rather 
steep  path  around  the  house.  In  front  of  the  house  there  was 
a  narrow  yard,  separated  from  the  road  by  a  picket  fence. 

A  good  cellar  was  an  important  part  of  every  house.  It 
was  needed  in  the  summer  as  a  place  in  which  to  keep  cool 
articles  of  food,  ice  and  ice  boxes  not  being  in  common  use.  In 
the  winter  it  was  required  even  more  for  keeping  things  from 
freezing,  especially  overnight,  and  for  the  storage  of  potatoes 
and  other  vegetables  for  use  through  the  winter  and  the  spring. 
It  was  also  generally  the  place  where  the  milk  was  kept,  when 
nearly  every  family  had  its  cow  and  made  its  own  butter. 
The  cellar  was  usually  under  the  house,  but  ours  was  on  a  level 
with  the  first  floor  of  the  house,  like  a  large,  dark,  back  room, 
with  the  rear  wall  and  the  rear  half  of  the  side  walls  and  of  the 
floor  covered  with  cement,  which  form  of  construction  was  made 
possible  by  the  house  being  built  into  the  side  of  the  hill. 

On  the  south  hill  there  was  but  one  well.  Everybody  was 
permitted  to  use  it,  and  in  the  summer  time  I  occasionally  went 
there  for  a  pail  of  fresh  drinking-water,  although  I  more  fre- 
quently got  that  when  it  was  wanted  from  one  or  the  other  of 


314  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

two  springs  that  were  down  on  the  lake  shore.  But  our  main 
dependence  for  water  for  all  household  purposes  was  on  a 
cistern  into  which  rain  water  was  collected  by  wooden  troughs 
under  the  eaves  of  the  house.  Our  cistern  was  on  the  back 
side  of  our  house.  It  had  an  opening  at  the  top  that  was  a  few 
feet  only  from  the  door  into  the  second  story  of  the  house,  while 
a  pipe  ran  from  near  its  bottom  into  the  cellar,  terminating  in  a 
faucet.  Near  the  end  of  the  winter  father  sometimes  got  from 
the  lake  several  loads  of  ice  and  put  them  into  the  cistern,  which 
kept  the  water  cool  for  quite  a  while.  When  we  had  horses, 
they  had  to  be  watered  at  the  lake.  The  cow  was  left  to  go 
there  herself. 

Back  of  our  house,  on  the  hillside,  father  had  four  or  five 
lots,  and  he  made  on  them  by  far  the  best  garden  in  the  village, 
although  the  prior  outlook  was  not  very  encouraging  for  it. 
Moreover,  he  did  most  of  his  work  in  the  garden  in  the  morning 
and  in  the  evening.  To  begin  with,  he  built  terraces,  some  of 
which,  with  what  he  planted  on  them,  remain  to  the  present  time. 
On  some  of  them  he  planted  several  choice  varieties  of  grapes, 
which  did  particularly  well.  On  others  he  planted  both  red 
and  black  raspberries,  blackberries,  gooseberries,  currants,  and 
several  beds  of  strawberries.  He  also  set  out  some  apple,  crab- 
apple,  and  plum  trees.  He  had  a  bed  or  two  of  pieplant  or 
rhubarb.  Besides,  he  generally  raised  some  sweet  corn,  pota- 
toes, cabbages,  tomatoes,  string  beans,  peas,  onions,  cucumbers, 
radishes,  lettuce,  parsnips,  squash,  pumpkins,  and  a  few  melons. 
As  the  cabbages  and  the  tomatoes  required  a  lengthened  season, 
plants  were  first  raised  in  boxes  or  beds  covered  with  glass,  and 
then  the  plants  were  set  out;  or  some  of  them  were  sold.  Car- 
rots were  looked  upon  as  feed  for  cattle  only.  Father  also  kept 
in  his  garden  a  dozen  or  so  hives  of  bees. 

If  I  was  not  taught  shoemaking,  I  was  taught  to  do  chores 
and  to  work  in  the  garden;  to  help  spade  up  the  ground  in  the 
spring,  because  it  could  not  well  be  plowed,  to  help  plant  what- 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  315 

ever  was  to  be  planted,  and  after  that  to  hoe  or  cultivate,  pull 
up  weeds,  and  particularly  to  help  gather  the  berries  and  the 
vegetables.  It  was  also  made  one  of  my  duties  to  watch  the 
bees  during  their  swarming- times,  and,  if  father  was  away,  to 
hive  the  new  swarms. 

The  interior  of  the  average  dwelling-house  was  lathed  and 
plastered,  and  the  walls  were  from  time  to  time  whitewashed. 
The  woodwork  was  either  painted  white  or  grained.  The  win- 
dow shades  were  of  a  strong  green  paper,  fastened  up  at  the  top, 
and  rolled  up  from  the  bottom  to  the  desired  height,  where  they 
were  held  by  the  tying  together  of  cords  that  came  down  in 
front  and  behind.  What  were  desired  in  the  way  of  rooms 
were  a  kitchen,  a  pantry,  a  sitting-room  or  parlor,  enough  bed- 
rooms for  the  family  and  any  hired  help,  and  a  spare  room  for 
guests,  with  sufficient  closets  in  which  to  keep  the  clothing. 

The  sitting-room  corresponded  very  nearly  in  the  uses  made 
of  it  to  what  is  now  frequently  called  the  living-room.  It  was 
the  common  gathering-place  of  the  family,  as  well  as  that  where 
visitors  were  entertained.  Either  it  or  the  kitchen  had  to  serve 
also  as  the  dining-room,  which  sometimes  the  one  did,  and 
sometimes  the  other,  depending  on  circumstances.  The  chairs 
in  the  sitting-room  and  in  the  kitchen  were  usually  of  the  same 
kind,  much  like  what  are  now  termed  kitchen  chairs,  with  hard- 
wood bottoms,  although  in  some  instances  there  were  chairs  with 
cane  seats  for  the  sitting-room.  It  also  almost  always  had  a 
couple  of  rocking-chairs  containing  cushions  with  bright  tops 
made  of  pieces  of  cloth  or  of  braided  rags  sewed  together.  The 
ordinary  family  table  was  a  rectangular  one  consisting  of  a 
central  board  supported  by  four  legs  and  having  two  side 
leaves  hinged  to  it  so  that  they  could  be  let  down  out  of  the  way 
when  not  needed.  The  floor  of  the  sitting-room  was  covered 
with  a  rag  carpet.  For  this  rags,  torn  into  strips  about  an  inch 
wide,  were  sewed  end  to  end  and  wound  in  balls  to  the  size  of 
about  6  inches  in  diameter.  Sometimes  the  rags  were  left  in 


316         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

their  original  colors,  or  after  being  sewed  were  dyed,  either  at 
home  or  by  the  person  to  whom  they  were  sent  to  be  woven 
into  carpeting.  A  thick  layer  of  straw  was  usually  put  under 
the  carpet.  Small  rugs  were  made  by  braiding  strips  of  rags 
and  sewing  the  braids  together.  The  pictures  hung  on  the  walls 
of  the  sitting-room  were  usually  crude  photographic,  wrongly 
called  crayon,  enlargements  of  family  portraits;  steel  engrav- 
ings, as  for  example  of  Lincoln  or  of  Washington;  wood  engrav- 
ings, as  of  a  bit  of  scenery;  and  chromolithographs,  or  chromos, 
in  bright  colors;  all  of  them  framed  plainly.  Then,  too,  there 
were  framed  mottoes,  worked  with  colored  yarns  on  perforated 
cardboard.  One  of  the  most  common  of  these  was  "  God  Bless 
Our  Home,"  which  was  reverently  hung  up  as  a  sort  of  perpetual 
prayer  by  persons  who  believed  both  in  the  sanctity  of  the 
home  and  in  its  daily  dependence  on  the  blessing  of  the  Almighty. 
The  certificate  of  marriage,  sometimes  with  the  photographs 
of  the  husband  and  the  wife  inserted  in  places  in  it  for  that 
purpose  and  occasionally  with  the  photograph  of  the  minister 
who  performed  the  ceremony  added,  was  also  frequently  framed 
and  hung  on  the  wall.  The  engravings  and  the  chromos  were 
generally  obtained  as  premiums  for  subscriptions  to  periodicals. 

In  the  sitting-room,  too,  there  almost  invariably  stood,  on 
a  small  shelf  especially  provided  for  it,  a  clock  in  an  upright 
wooden  case  with  a  glass  door  through  which  were  to  be  seen 
the  dial  and  a  pendulum,  the  latter  monotonously  swinging 
back  and  forth,  measuring  off  the  passage  of  time,  the  hours  of 
which  were  loudly  sounded  on  a  gong  or  bell.  The  winding  of 
the  clock,  which  was  done  with  a  detachable  key,  was  usually 
one  of  the  self-imposed  and  reserved  duties  of  the  head  of  the 
household,  marking  Saturday  night. 

There  might  also  be  in  the  sitting-room  a  combined  book- 
case and  writing-desk  made  of  black  walnut  or  other  wood,  with 
drawers  below  the  desk,  and  with  the  bookcase  of  three  or  four 
shelves  above  it.  Less  frequently  there  might  be  an  organ  in 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  317 

the  room.  If  the  home  contained  a  piano,  the  room  in  which 
it  was  kept  was  pretty  certain  to  be  called  a  parlor,  which  indi- 
cated a  little  more  of  aristocracy  in  the  family  and  somewhat 
less  of  freedom  in  the  use  of  the  room,  for  instance  preventing 
its  use  as  a  dining-room.  A  parlor,  or  even  a  sitting-room, 
might  further  have  in  one  corner  of  it  a  triangular  whatnot  of 
several  shelves  to  hold  bric-a-brac,  while  a  sitting-room  was 
more  apt  than  a  parlor  to  have  a  wall-pocket  to  hold  the  current 
newspapers.  Very  often  the  parlor  was  kept  closed,  with  the 
window  curtains  drawn  down,  except  when  there  were  visitors. 

Some  of  the  bedrooms  were  carpeted,  Often  with  carpets 
that  first  did  service  in  the  sitting-room.  A  bedroom  might 
contain,  besides  the  bed  and  a  chair  or  two,  a  looking-glass,  one 
or  two  pictures,  a  bureau,  a  washstand  with  washbowl  and 
pitcher,  and,  if  it  did  not  have  a  closet  for  clothes,  a  row  of 
nails  on  which  to  hang  them.  The  bedstead  was  ordinarily  a 
plain  wooden  one  with  wooden  slats  about  3  inches  wide  and  3 
inches  apart  extending  from  one  side  of  it  to  the  other,  or  with 
a  small  rope  passed  back  and  forth  and  drawn  tight,  to  support 
the  bedding.  On  slats  or  rope  was  laid  the  bedtick  filled  with 
straw  or  with  soft  inner  corn  husks.  In  the  winter,  a  feather 
bed,  or  tick  filled  with  feathers,  might  be  placed  on  top  of  the 
other  tick,  and  woolen  blankets  substituted  for  the  sheets.  A 
bolster  long  enough  to  reach  across  the  bed,  and  of  about  the 
same  width  as  the  pillows,  was  filled  with  the  same  material 
as  the  bedtick  and  placed  under  the  pillows.  Sometimes 
pillow  shams,  or  embroidered  covers,  were  laid  over  the  pillows 
during  the  day.  The  sheets,  pillowcases,  and  quilts  were  all 
homemade. 

A  quilt  was  made  by  stretching  out  smooth  a  piece  of  cloth 
of  the  desired  size,  the  edges  of  which  were  attached  to  the 
inside  of  a  frame  made  of  four  strips  of  lumber  about  8  feet  long 
that  were  clamped  together  where  they  crossed  near  their  ends, 
which  were  placed  on  the  tops  of  the  backs  of  four  standing 


3l8  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

chairs,  so  that  persons  could  sit  in  other  chairs  while  working 
on  the  quilt.  On  that  first  cloth  cotton  batting  was  spread 
out,  and  over  that  whatever  was  to  be  the  upper  side  of  the 
quilt,  which  was  usually  made  of  pieces  of  variously  colored 
calico  or  other  cloth  arranged  according  to  some  simple  pattern 
and  sewed  together.  If  the  pieces  were  of  various  sizes  and 
colors  arranged  in  a  haphazard  style,  the  final  product  was 
called  a  "crazy  quilt."  The  edges  of  the  two  sides  of  cloth  had 
to  be  sewed  together,  and  the  quilt  tied  throughout  to  keep  the 
filling  in  place,  which  was  done  by  taking  separate  stitches  at 
regular  intervals  of  some  inches  and  tying  the  yarn  used  in  the 
operation.  This  was  the  work  of  the  quilting  bees,  to  which 
neighboring  women  were  invited  to  enjoy  themselves  socially 
for  an  afternoon  and  at  the  same  time  to  help  one  of  their 
number.  As  the  work  progressed,  two  opposite  sides  of  the 
quilting  frame  were  turned  over  and  over,  thus  folding  up  the 
finished  portions  of  the  quilt  and  giving  easy  access  to  the  center. 

The  shelves  of  the  closets  and  of  the  pantry  were  often 
covered  with  old  newspapers  or  with  old  wrapping-paper,  the 
outer  edge  of  the  paper  used  in  the  pantry  being  bent  down  2 
or  3  inches  over  the  edge  of  the  shelf  and  more  or  less  elaborately 
scalloped  and  notched. 

There  was  little  fine  china,  glassware,  or  silverware.  The 
dishes  were  of  the  common  kind,  while  some  of  them  were 
decorated  in  blue.  The  knives  and  forks  were  of  steel,  with 
handles  of  bone.  The  forks  had  but  two  tines.  The  spoons, 
large  and  small,  were  of  iron,  pewter,  or  sometimes  German 
silver.  About  the  only  individual  dishes  used,  besides  plates, 
cups,  and  saucers,  were  sauce  dishes  for  berries,  stewed  fruits, 
and  some  other  desserts. 

With  two-tined  forks,  knives  were  much  used  to  convey 
food  to  the  mouth.  Water  was  not  ordinarily  served  at  meals. 
Tea  or  coffee  was,  more  often  than  not,  drunk  from  the  saucer, 
especially  by  the  men. 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  319 

A  pail  of  water,  with  a  tin  dipper,  was  kept  in  the  kitchen 
or  in  the  pantry.  In  the  kitchen  there  would  be,  too,  a  bench, 
with  a  tin  wash  basin  and  a  piece  of  hard  soap  or  a  dish  of 
homemade  soft  soap  on  the  bench,  and  a  towel  hanging  near  it, 
all  for  common  use. 

Stoves  made  to  burn  wood  only  were  used  exclusively;  in 
the  kitchen,  a  cookstove;  in  the  sitting-room,  a  heating-stove; 
and  perhaps  a  smaller  heating-stove  in  one  of  the  bedrooms. 
The  heating-stoves  were  taken  down  in  the  spring  and  set  up 
again  in  the  fall.  Such  bedrooms  as  had  doors  opening  into 
the  sitting-room  or  the  kitchen  were  warmed  in  the  winter  by 
opening  the  doors,  and,  when  in  the  second  story,  sometimes 
from  the  stovepipe  from  downstairs  going  through  them.  Other 
bedrooms,  generally  occupied  by  healthy  young  persons,  would 
frequently  get  very  cold,  so  that  the  breath  would  condense  and 
freeze  on  the  top  covers.  Sometimes  hot  flatirons  would  be 
put  into  the  beds  to  warm  the  feet. 

The  lighting  was  done  entirely  with  kerosene  lamps,  except 
for  some  slight  use  of  candles.  To  keep  not  only  the  lamps 
filled  with  oil,  but  the  chimneys  clean,  and  the  wicks  properly 
trimmed,  was  somewhat  of  a  daily  test  of  the  good  housewife. 
The  lamp  which  gave  the  best  light  and  was  preferred  for  the 
sitting-room  was  known  as  the  student  lamp  with  an  Argand 
burner.  As  for  the  candles,  the  farmers  all  had  molds  with 
which  they  made  the  candles  they  needed,  while  other  people 
usually  bought  their  candles  at  the  stores.  Occasionally  a  per- 
forated tin  lantern  which  held  a  candle  for  light  was  to  be  seen. 

Sometimes  a  family  had  a  hired  girl,  but  no  servant,  for  the 
latter  designation  was  never  used.  She  might  be  the  daughter 
of  a  relative  or  of  a  respectable  farmer — a  girl  or  young  woman 
not  particularly  needed  at  home,  who  wanted  to  earn  something 
for  herself  and  to  provide  her  own  clothing.  She  became  as  a 
member  of  the  family  for  which  she  worked,  ate  with  them  at 
the  table,  went  with  them  on  some  occasions,  and  if  deserving 


320         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

of  it  had  really  as  good  social  standing  as  they  had,  and  often 
married  as  well  as  any  young  woman  in  the  community  could 
marry,  making  as  good  a  wife  as  anyone. 

Women  did  not  try  to  follow  the  fashions  very  closely  in 
their  dress,  which  they  either  made  for  themselves  or  had  a 
dressmaker  make,  though  when  new  garments  were  made  they 
wanted  them  to  be  in  somewhat  near  the  prevailing  style  as 
they  got  their  ideas  of  the  latter  from  their  magazines,  what 
they  saw  others  wearing,  and  what  the  dressmakers  told  them. 
But  garments  were  seldom  discarded  until  they  were  worn  out, 
although  they  might  be  remodeled  or  made  over  once  or  twice 
in  the  meantime,  and  after  that  they  went  into  the  rag  bag. 
Calico  was  the  staple  material  for  everyday  use.  Ginghams 
and  dress  goods  of  some  such  texture  were  also  much  used. 
The  best  dress  was  sometimes  one  made  of  alpaca.  Dresses 
made  of  silk  or  satin  were  rarities.  Of  styles,  my  earliest 
recollection  is  of  that  of  the  hoopskirt,  which,  however,  I  never 
saw  expanded  to  such  an  extreme  as  some  pictures  indicate  that 
it  was  in  certain  cities.  At  a  later  date  came  the  bustle  or 
extension  of  the  skirt  by  a  pad  or  form  worn  on  the  back  below 
the  waist.  But  all  of  the  dresses  were  long.  Then  one  woman 
in  the  village,  followed  by  one  or  two  others,  came  out  in 
bloomers,  or  with  a  dress  reaching  somewhat  below  the  knees 
and  with  long,  loose  trousers  of  the  same  material  as  the  dress. 
That  created  a  great  and  lasting  sensation  accompanied  with 
some  derision,  which  the  wearers  disregarded  if  not  really  wel- 
comed. Elderly  women  greatly  emphasized  their  age  by  their 
dress.  Nightcaps  constituted  another  feature  of  the  times. 
In  the  winter,  women  quite  generally  wore  either  warm  hoods 
or  woolen  nubias,  instead  of  hats. 

Men,  with  few  exceptions,  dressed  mainly  according  to 
convenience  and  for  comfort.  A  man  generally  had  two  suits 
of  clothes,  one  for  Sunday  and  special  occasions,  and  the  other 
for  everyday  wear.  Sometimes  he  wore  a  linen  suit  in  hot 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  321 

weather,  or  overalls  as  trousers  in  which  to  work.  He  usually 
had  a  felt  hat  which  did  duty  until  it  was  worn  out,  being  super- 
seded in  the  summer  by  a  straw  hat  that  cost  not  far  from 
twenty-five  cents,  and  in  the  winter  by  a  warm  cloth  or  fur  cap 
made  with  flaps  or  coverings  for  the  ears.  In  the  summer  men 
either  dispensed  with  socks  or  wore  cotton  ones  which  they 
bought.  In  the  winter  they  wore  home-knit  woolen  stockings, 
and  underwear  made  at  home  as  two  separate  garments,  from 
gray  or  red  flannel.  Their  shirts,  usually  colored  and  of  cotton, 
were  also  homemade.  Their  white  shirts  for  Sundays  and 
special  occasions  had  closed,  stiff  bosoms,  and  opened  and 
buttoned  in  the  back.  Other  shirts  opened  in  front,  but  none 
clear  through  to  the  bottom,  so  that  all  shirts  had  to  be  put  on 
and  taken  off  by  being  drawn  over  the  head.  Sometimes  a 
stiff,  white  false  shirt-front  or  bosom  called  a  dickey  was  worn 
over  a  colored  shirt.  Along  with  either  a  white  shirt  or  a 
dickey,  stiff  white  detachable  cuffs  made  of  paper,  rubber, 
cotton,  or  linen  cloth  were  worn.  Workingmen  did  not  wear 
collars,  except  when  they  wanted  to  dress  up,  and  then  they 
commonly  wore  paper  ones,  bought  by  the  box. 

Men  bought,  at  one  of  the  general  stores,  their  suits  or 
separate  outer  garments  ready  made.  They  looked  at  the 
probable  wearing  qualities  of  the  goods  more  than  at  the  style, 
while  not  much  was  exacted  with  regard  to  how  the  clothes 
fitted.  There  were  never  any  alterations  made  in  them  by 
the  sellers.  No  pressing  was  done;  all  creases  and  rumples 
were  left.  For  many  years  after  the  Civil  War  blue  army  over- 
coats were  much  to  be  seen  in  the  winter,  being  worn  not  only 
by  former  soldiers  but  by  many  other  men.  Overcoats  made  of 
buffalo  skins  tanned  with  the  hair  on  them  were  also  very 
common,  and  quite  cheap;  as  likewise  were  buffalo  robes. 
More  scarce  and  expensive  were  overcoats  made  of  raccoon 
skins.  Mittens  were  used  more  than  gloves.  Those  bought 
were  most  often  made  of  buckskin,  calfskin,  furs,  or  with 


322  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

buckskin  or  calfskin  palms  and  fur  backs  and  wrists,  while 
there  were  homemade  ones  of  heavy  cloth  or  knit  of  woolen 
yarn,  which  were  sometimes  worn  inside  of  the  others,  or  were 
sometimes  faced  with  buckskin,  calfskin,  or  some  other  leather. 
On  their  feet,  almost  all  men  wore  boots,  and  not  shoes, 
particularly  in  the  winter.  The  upper  leather  in  the  best  boots 
was  called,  from  the  method  by  which  it  was  tanned,  French 
calfskin;  then  came  American  calfskin,  French  kip,  American 
kip,  cowhide,  and  split  leather  made  from  cowhide.  The  kip 
was  made  from  the  skins  of  young  animals  older  than  calves, 
and  it  was  heavier  than  calfskin,  but  lighter  and  more  pliable 
than  cowhide.  The  boots  had  tops  about  12  inches  high, 
without  any  lacing.  They  were  drawn  on  to  the  feet  by  pulling 
with  the  fingers  inserted  in  looped  straps  on  the  sides  of  the  tops, 
at  their  tops.  That  was  quite  an  ordeal  if  the  boots  were  too 
small,  or  were  badly  shrunken  by  snow  water,  and  the  operation 
might  be  aided  by  standing  up  and  kicking  against  some  firm 
object.  Only  a  little  less  difficult  at  times  was  pulling  off 
the  boots  at  night,  as  an  aid  to  doing  which  a  bootjack  was 
almost  indispensable.  A  homemade  one  consisted  of  a  piece  of 
board  about  12  inches  long  and  4  inches  wide,  with  a  V-  or  a 
U-shaped  notch  at  one  end  and  a  crosspiece  about  i  inch  thick 
just  back  of  it,  to  be  placed  on  the  floor,  so  that  a  person  stand- 
ing with  one  foot  on  the  bootjack  back  of  the  crosspiece  could 
catch  the  heel  of  the  boot  on  the  other  foot  in  the  notch  and 
thus  pull  the  boot  off,  the  task  being  made  easier,  when  neces- 
sary, by  holding  down  the  toe  of  the  boot  with  one  hand.  The 
uppermost  2  to  4  or  5  inches  of  the  front  half  of  the  tops  of  the 
boots  were  frequently  covered  with,  or  composed  of,  red,  blue, 
green,  or  other  colored  sheepskin,  occasionally  fancifully  shaped 
and  sewed,  with  sometimes  a  narrow  band  of  the  colored  leather 
behind.  That  gave  a  touch  of  style  when  the  legs  of  the  boots 
were  drawn  over  the  lower  ends  of  the  legs  of  the  trousers,  as 
was  frequently  done  when  a  man  had  to  walk  through  deep  snow 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  323 

or  mud,  while  occasionally  a  dandy  affected  fancy  boot-tops 
as  a  part  of  his  dress.  The  price  of  boots  made  to  measure,  by 
hand,  with  the  bottoms  pegged,  ranged  from  about  four  to  eight 
dollars  a  pair,  according  to  the  leather  used  in  them.  With  the 
bottoms  sewed  on  by  hand,  the  boots  cost  more.  Boots  made 
in  factories  and  sold  in  stores  were  a  little  cheaper. 

Shoes  for  women  were  usually  purchased  at  the  stores,  and 
were  designed  more  for  service  than  for  looks,  being  almost 
hidden  by  the  skirts.  Small,  high  heels  were  viewed  askance 
and  frowned  upon,  although  there  were  those  who  wanted  them. 
Shoes  for  girls  and  boots  for  boys  were  also  bought  at  the 
general  stores,  and  were  quite  commonly  made  of  split  leather 
and  with  copper  toes,  narrow  curved  bands  of  copper  at  the  toes 
to  protect  them  from  being  kicked  or  stubbed  through.  The 
boys  went  barefooted  the  most  of  the  time  in  the  summer,  and 
the  small  girls  did  a  great  deal  of  the  time.  In  the  winter  the 
boys'  boots  gave  much  trouble  by  becoming  water-soaked,  hard, 
and  shrunken,  requiring  frequent  greasing  or  oiling  to  make 
them  at  all  comfortable.  Overshoes  were  seldom  worn,  except 
arctics  sometimes  for  warmth. 

The  clothing  for  boys  and  for  girls,  with  the  exception  of 
hats,  boots,  and  shoes,  was  almost  all  made  at  home.  The 
styles  for  both  were  simple.  A  very  young  boy  was  dressed 
much  the  same  as  a  girl,  with  a  short  dress.  Next,  he  was  given 
short  trousers,  universally  called  "pants,"  which  were  buttoned 
on  to  a  waist  made  of  calico,  gingham,  or  some  other  cloth.  For 
use  when  needed,  he  also  had  a  jacket.  Long  after  he  thought 
that  he  ought  to  have  them,  he  got  "long  pants,"  which  he 
considered  made  a  man  of  him,  particularly  when  he  got  sus- 
penders, a  shirt,  and  a  vest  also.  As  she  grew  up,  a  girl  was 
just  as  anxious  to  get  into  a  long  dress,  to  make  a  woman  of  her, 
as  the  boy  was  to  get  his  long  trousers. 

Some  of  the  boy's  handkerchiefs  were  made  of  calico,  while 
his  father  might  be  using  a  red  or  a  blue  cotton  bandanna.  Like 


324         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

his  father,  the  boy  had  a  cheap  straw  hat  for  the  summer,  and 
a  cap  with  protection  for  the  ears  for  the  winter.  He  wore 
underclothes  in  the  winter  only.  They  were  made  of  flannel, 
at  first  combined  like  union  suits.  His  mittens  were  usually 
either  made  of  cloth  or  knitted  at  home,  and  were  connected  by 
a  cord  worn  over  the  shoulders.  He  might  also  have  a  pair  of 
home-knit  wristlets.  He  was  pretty  certain  to  have  a  bright- 
colored  woolen  scarf  that  was  either  knitted  at  home  or  pur- 
chased at  the  store.  When  he  was  taken  anywhere  in  the 
winter,  say  in  a  sleigh,  he  was  bundled  up  in  a  robe,  blanket,  or 
bed  quilt,  or  sometimes  he  wore  one  of  his  father's  coats  as  an 
overcoat,  for  he  did  not  have  an  overcoat  of  his  own. 

When  a  boy  was  small  and  was  dressed  by  someone  else,  he 
was  put  into  a  nightgown  or  a  pajama-like  single  garment,  in 
which  to  sleep  at  night.  But  when  the  average  boy  got  large 
enough  to  dress  himself  and  to  wear  a  shirt  instead  of  a  waist, 
he  discarded  the  nightdress  and  in  the  summer  slept  either  in 
the  shirt  that  he  wore  during  the  day  or  in  one  like  it,  while  in 
the  winter  he  slept  in  his  underwear.  In  the  summer,  he  did 
his  bathing  mostly  by  going  in  swimming,  often  signifying  his 
intention  in  that  direction,  and  giving  an  invitation  to  other 
boys  at  a  distance  to  join  him,  by  holding  up  one  hand  with  the 
first  two  fingers  extended  V-like.  In  the  winter,  he  sometimes, 
but  not  always,  took  a  bath  on  Saturday  night,  in  a  washtub, 
in  water  that  was  warmed  with  water  heated  for  the  purpose 
in  a  kettle  on  the  kitchen  stove. 

Life  for  all  ages  and  classes  was  in  many  ways  simpler  in 
those  days,  and  particularly  in  a  Western  or  Middle- Western 
village,  than  it  is  now.  There  was  little  of  hurry  and  nervous 
strain  in  it.  Electricity  was  scarcely  used  for  anything  but 
telegraphing.  The  telephone  was  unknown.  Wireless  teleg- 
raphy was  a  third  of  a  century  from  being  realized.  There 
were  no  bicycles,  no  automobiles,  and  no  aeroplanes.  A  small 
village  could  not  support  a  theater,  and  moving-picture  shows 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  325 

were  undreamed  of.  Daily  newspapers  from  the  large  cities 
were  taken  by  but  few  of  the  people,  and  were  of  few  pages. 
One  mail  a  day,  excluding  Sundays,  was  considered  a  plenty, 
while  small  places  inland  might  receive  mail  but  once  a  week, 
or  twice  a  week  at  the  most,  and  there  was  no  delivery  away 
from  the  post-office — no  rural  free  delivery.  Still,  it  is  doubtful 
if  the  individual  got  much  less  satisfaction  out  of  life  by  reason  of 
these  deprivations  and  most  others  incident  to  those  times,  while 
he  may  have  obtained  more  real  enjoyment  from  living  at  the 
slower  pace  and  closer  to  nature,  for  much  of  happiness  depends 
on  health  and  contentment.  Even  better  were  those  conditions 
for  the  children.  Their  nerves  were  spared  much,  and  their 
minds  were  left  to  normal  gradual  development. 

There  were  few  class  distinctions  between  children,  although 
there  were,  of  course,  natural  attractions  and  special  friendships 
between  certain  ones  of  them.  All  practically  got  all  of  the 
play  needed  for  their  well-being.  Some  perhaps  were  given 
more  work  to  do  at  home  than  others,  yet  all  were  expected  to 
do  some  work,  and  none  was  seriously  overworked  or  deprived 
of  attending  school  a  fair  amount  of  time. 

The  games  and  plays  of  the  small  boys  were  largely  the 
same  as  those  that  interested  generations  of  little  fellows  before 
them  and  are  still  doing  service.  They  usually  began  in  the 
spring  with  the  playing  of  marbles  and  the  spinning  of  tops. 
The  boys  generally  made  their  own  tops  out  of  old  spools  from 
which  the  thread  had  been  used.  They  did  it  by  driving  a 
tight-fitting  wooden  peg  through  the  hole  in  the  spool  and 
whittling  down  the  lower  part  of  the  spool  and  of  the  peg  so  as 
to  make  a  tapering  point.  Then  came  the  playing  of  ball,  most 
often  what  was  called  one  old  cat,  or  two  old  cat,  according 
to  the  number  of  the  batters.  The  homemade  ball  consisted 
of  yarn  raveled  out  of  old  stockings,  wound  into  a  ball  of 
the  desired  size,  and  covered  with  cloth  or  with  leather  cut 
from  an  old  boot-top.  The  boys  also  played  blindman's  buff, 


326  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

hide  and  seek,  leapfrog,  pussy  wants  a  corner,  and  tag.  At 
other  times  they  flew  homemade  kites,  rolled  barrel  hoops,  or 
teetered.  Two  boys  seated  on  the  ground  would  also  sometimes 
play  mumblety-peg,  a  game  wherein  the  loser,  in  a  contest  of  skill 
in  throwing  in  various  ways  an  open  or  a  partially  open  jackknif e 
so  that  its  blade  would  stick  in  the  ground,  had  to  pull  out  with 
his  teeth  a  wooden  peg  driven  well  into  the  soil  by  the  winner. 

As  they  got  a  little  older,  the  boys  took  more  to  a  simple 
form  of  baseball,  playing  duck  on  a  rock,  fox  and  geese, 
shinny,  snapping  the  whip,  jumping,  pitching  of  horseshoes, 
playing  of  prisoner's  base,  racing,  tipcat,  tugs  of  war,  wrestling, 
and  other  games  and  feats  of  skill  and  strength.  These  they 
kept  up  as  long  as  they  went  to  school,  and  to  some  extent 
afterward  when  several  of  them  chanced  to  be  together,  espe- 
cially on  a  holiday,  although  after  they  once  got  to  working 
regularly  they  did  not  care  much  for  such  diversions.  Then, 
in  the  summer,  came  croquet,  occasional  hunting  or  fishing, 
boating,  and  swimming;  in  the  winter,  skating,  sleighing,  going 
to  parties,  and  often  dancing. 

The  younger  girls  engaged  in  some  of  the  same  games  as  the 
boys.  Among  their  own  specialties  were  jumping  the  rope  and 
swinging.  They  also  liked  to  play  such  games  as  drop  the 
handkerchief,  ring  around  the  rosy,  spatting  out,  "button,  button, 
who's  got  the  button?"  and  forfeits. 

For  the  fireside,  during  the  long  evenings  of  winter,  there 
were  such  games  and  pastimes  for  the  boys  and  the  girls  as 
authors,  checkers,  dominoes,  fox  and  geese  on  the  checker- 
board, lotto,  jackstraws,  bean  porridge  hot,  cat's  cradle, 
guessing  at  charades,  conundrums,  enigmas,  and  riddles,  and 
working  at  puzzles  and  rebuses,  a  constant  supply  of  these 
mental  exercises  being  furnished  by  special  departments  in 
almost  all  periodicals  for,  or  seeking  to  interest  boys  and  girls. 

Except  for  the  work  that  the  men  must  do,  the  lives  of  the 
married  men  and  women  were  lived  largely  in  as  well  as  for 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  327 

their  families.  Some  of  the  men,  and  most  of  the  women,  spent 
nearly  all  of  their  evenings  at  home;  the  men,  in  reading  their 
newspapers  or  perhaps  in  work  of  some  kind;  and  the  women, 
in  work  or  sometimes  in  reading.  In  our  home,  for  example, 
we  had  a  religious  weekly,  two  or  three  local  newspapers 
(although  none  was  published  in  our  village),  and  a  woman's 
magazine,  while  for  some  years  I  had  a  small  monthly  that  was 
published  for  boys  and  girls.  A  new  book  was  also  occasionally 
purchased.  To  get  the  dates  of  the  days  of  the  month,  the 
changes  in  the  phases  of  the  moon,  the  hours  of  sunrise  and  of 
sunset,  and  sometimes  even  forecasts  as  to  what  the  weather 
would  likely  be  at  a  future  time,  recourse  was  had  to  one  of  the 
small  green,  yellow,  or  other  colored,  paper-covered  annual 
almanacs  which  were  distributed  free,  through  the  stores,  by 
patent-medicine  concerns  to  advertise  their  nostrums.  But  for 
predictions  as  to  the  weather,  men  usually  studied  the  signs  and 
decided  for  themselves.  The  men  who  wanted  some  place  to 
go  in  the  evening  generally  found  it  at  the  stores,  which  were 
kept  open  until  nine  o'clock  or  later. 

The  social  life  of  the  married  women  consisted  largely  in  the 
informal  visiting  back  and  forth  between  themselves  of  those 
of  congenial  natures  and  interests,  in  going  to  religious  meetings, 
in  getting  up  and  attending  church  festivals  and  sociables,  in 
going  to  the  occasional  school  entertainments  and  to  the  debates 
when  there  was  a  debating  society,  and  in  entertaining  friends 
and  relatives,  as  well  as  sometimes  ministers  coming  as  guests. 
Many  women  also  found  some  diversion  by  joining  the  local 
temperance  society  and  helping  on  that  cause  when  it  was  being 
pushed;  and  again  for  a  short  while  they  got  some  social  enjoy- 
ment out  of  a  farmers'  grange,  when  that  movement  was  at  its 
height.  From  time  to  time,  too,  they  found  occupation  for 
their  sympathies  and  their  hands  in  assisting  such  of  their 
neighbors  as  were  unfortunate  enough  to  have  sickness  in  the 
family,  for  there  were  no  regular  nurses,  and  even  physicians 


328  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

could  not  always  be  obtained  without  going  to  some  larger 
place  for  them.  A  box  of  medicines  or  a  supply  of  family  and 
emergency  remedies  was  practically  a  household  necessity  that 
was  well  looked  after  and  used  by  careful  housewives. 

In  religious  organization  and  the  maintenance  of  religious 
services,  Maiden  Rock  was  weak,  yet  still  typical  even  in  that. 
The  underlying  trouble  was  that  its  religious  element  was 
divided  among  too  many  denominations,  having  representatives 
of  seven  or  eight  of  them  and  not  enough  members  of  any  one 
to  build  a  church  or  to  support  a  minister.  This  was  partly 
overcome  by  the  members  of  several  of  the  sects  joining  in  what 
were  practically  union  services,  although  the  most  of  the  preach- 
ing was  supplied  by  Methodist  ministers.  The  Methodists  were 
not  only  the  first  to  conduct  religious  services  in  the  village,  but 
they  had  the  advantage  of  their  system  whereby  a  minister  was 
assigned  annually  to  a  circuit  of  several  small  places  at  which 
to  preach.  That  gave  Maiden  Rock  regular  preaching  at  least 
on  every  other  Sunday  morning.  Besides,  the  minister  resided 
there  and  was  at  home  a  good  portion  of  the  time  through  the 
week.  On  some  of  the  vacant  Sundays,  ministers  of  other 
denominations,  from  Lake  City  or  elsewhere,  were  secured  to 
preach.  A  union  or  undenominational  Sunday  school  was  also 
maintained  most  of  the  time.  For  upward  of  seventeen  years, 
or  until  about  1877,  the  services  on  Sunday  were  held  in  the 
schoolhouse.  When  there  were  prayer  meetings  on  evenings 
during  the  week  they  were  often  held  in  private  houses. 
Whenever  there  was  a  funeral,  the  schoolhouse  bell  was  tolled, 
and  almost  everybody,  including  farmers  who  lived  miles 
out,  went  to  the  funeral.  Near  the  close  of  one  winter,  a 
Baptist  evangelist  visited  Maiden  Rock  and  held  revival  serv- 
ices, which  resulted  in  several  requests  for  baptism.  The 
baptisms  were  administered  in  the  lake,  in  a  hole  something 
like  8  by  10  feet  in  size  that  was  cut  through  the  thick  ice  at 
such  a  distance  from  the  shore  as  to  afford  the  desired  depth  of 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  329 

water.  It  was  a  somewhat  cold,  windy  day,  yet  a  considerable 
number  of  people  stood  out  on  the  ice  to  witness  the  ceremony, 
which  passed  off  as  happily  as  if  it  had  been  in  midsummer. 

Family  worship  was  regularly  conducted  in  the  morning  and 
in  the  evening,  and  the  divine  blessing  was  asked  on  every  meal, 
in  pronounced  Christian  homes,  as  a  part  of  duty  and  privilege 
for  the  daily  renewal  and  proper  maintenance  of  the  spiritual 
life.  My  father  followed  the  custom  with  a  beautiful  simplicity 
and  devotion  impressive  to  witness.  For  some  years  he  also 
did  more  or  less  preaching,  without  financial  compensation, 
going  on  Saturday  and  returning  home  on  Monday,  one  of  the 
places  to  which  he  went  being  in  the  heavy  woods  about  fifteen 
miles  back  of  Maiden  Rock,  and  another  one  being  nearly 
twenty  miles  distant,  over  on  the  prairie  in  Minnesota.  He 
prepared  his  sermons  through  the  week,  while  he  worked  at  his 
trade,  keeping  near  him  a  folded  sheet  of  paper  on  which  he 
wrote  down  in  pencil  his  thoughts  as  he  developed  them. 

The  social  side  of  church  life  found  expression,  in  the  winter, 
in  sociables,  suppers,  and  a  donation  party;  and,  in  the  summer, 
in  strawberry  and  ice  cream  festivals.  All  of  them  almost 
always  had  two  objects:  the  furnishing  of  social  pleasure,  and 
the  raising  of  a  little  money  for  the  minister,  or  for  some  other 
purpose.  The  refreshments  served  were  provided  by  the  women 
most  interested,  usually  as  the  result  of  considerable  labor  and 
some  expense.  What  were  called  "pound  socials"  differed 
from  the  others  mainly  in  that  each  person  attending  them  was 
required  to  bring  at  least  a  pound  of  something  for  the  minister. 
The  donation  parties  were  either  to  help  complete  the  payment 
of  a  promised  salary,  or  to  augment  one  otherwise  admittedly 
too  small,  as  where  the  original  promise  was  of  a  salary  of  a 
certain  sum  and  a  donation. 

Many  were  the  common  sayings  of  the  people.  Some  of 
them  were  old  proverbs,  but  that  only  went  to  show  a  certain 
continuity  of  thought  and  purpose  running  through  many 


330  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

generations  of  people  in  various  parts  of  the  world.  All 
maxims  in  general  use  revealed  to  some  extent  the  inner  char- 
acter and  thought  of  these  modern  users,  as  some  selections 
will  show:  It  takes  all  kinds  of  people  to  make  a  world.  The 
world  was  not  made  in  a  day.  Haste  makes  waste.  Look  out 
for  Number  One.  Strike  while  the  iron  is  hot.  Look  before 
you  leap.  He  who  dances  must  pay  the  fiddler.  Take  things 
by  the  smooth  handle.  Be  just  before  you  are  generous.  As 
a  man  makes  his  bed  so  must  he  lie.  Many  a  man  has  become 
rich  by  attending  to  his  own  business.  Everybody's  business  is 
nobody's  business.  People  who  live  in  glass  houses  should  not 
throw  stones.  Don't  blow  your  own  horn.  Actions  speak 
louder  than  words.  Little  pitchers  have  big  ears.  Don't 
cut  off  your  nose  to  spite  your  face.  Handsome  is  that  hand- 
some does.  There  are  none  so  blind  as  those  who  won't  see. 
An  ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of  cure.  A  stitch  in 
time  saves  nine.  Many  a  mickle  makes  a  muckle.  Enough 
is  as  good  as  a  feast.  There  is  no  use  crying  over  spilt  milk. 
What  cannot  be  cured  must  be  endured.  There  is  no  great  loss 
without  some  small  gain.  Evil  to  him  who  evil  thinks.  A 
friend  in  need  is  a  friend  indeed.  He  who  would  have  friends 
must  show  himself  friendly.  One  good  turn  deserves  another. 
A  man's  work  is  from  sun  to  sun,  but  a  woman's  work  is  never 
done.  He  laughs  best  who  laughs  last.  Every  tub  must  stand 
on  its  own  bottom.  Experience  teaches  a  dear  school.  The 
least  said,  soonest  mended.  Let  bygones  be  bygones. 

Other  common  sayings,  equally  expressive  of  the  general 
view  and  philosophy  of  life  of  the  people,  were  originally  based 
on  observations  of  natural  phenomena,  animals,  birds,  fish,  and 
even  worms.  Examples  of  those  most  frequently  used  were: 
Time  and  tide  wait  for  no  man.  It  is  darkest  just  before  the 
dawn.  Every  rose  has  its  thorn.  Every  cloud  has  a  silver 
lining.  It  is  a  long  lane  that  has  no  turning.  Red  at  night, 
the  sailor's  delight;  red  in  the  morning,  the  sailor's  warning. 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  331 

It  is  an  ill  wind  that  blows  nobody  good.  April  showers  bring 
May  flowers.  More  rain,  more  rest.  The  lightning  never 
strikes  twice  in  the  same  place.  Great  oaks  from  little  acorns 
grow.  Distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view.  Blessings 
brighten  as  they  take  their  flight.  A  rolling  stone  gathers  no 
moss.  Birds  of  a  feather  flock  together.  What  is  sauce  for  the 
goose  is  sauce  for  the  gander.  One  swallow  does  not  make  a 
summer.  What  goes  up  must  come  down.  Never  look  a  gift 
horse  in  the  mouth.  All  lay  burdens  on  a  willing  horse.  If 
wishes  were  horses  beggars  might  ride.  A  cat  may  look  at  a 
king.  When  the  cat  is  away  the  mice  will  play.  The  early 
bird  catches  the  worm.  Old  birds  are  not  caught  with  chaff. 
First  catch  your  hare,  and  then  cook  it.  Barking  dogs  seldom 
bite.  Men  don't  hunt  ducks  with  a  brass  band.  The  empty 
vessel  makes  the  most  noise.  Still  waters  run  deep.  Let  sleep- 
ing dogs  lie.  A  bird  in  the  hand  is  worth  two  in  the  bush. 
Never  buy  a  pig  in  a  poke.  He  is  as  independent  as  a  pig  on 
ice.  How  we  apples  swim!  Every  dog  has  his  day.  You  can- 
not teach  an  old  dog  new  tricks.  The  tail  wags  the  dog. 
The  tail  goes  with  the  hide.  There  is  more  than  one  way  to 
skin  a  cat.  Molasses  catches  more  flies  than  vinegar.  There 
are  still  as  good  fish  in  the  sea  as  any  that  ever  were  caught. 
Dead  fish  float  with  the  stream.  You  cannot  tell  from  the  looks 
of  a  toad  how  far  it  can  jump.  You  can  lead  a  horse  to  water, 
but  you  cannot  make  him  drink.  You  cannot  get  blood  out  of  a 
turnip.  Chickens  come  home  to  roost.  Even  a  worm  will  turn 
if  trod  upon.  Fish  or  cut  bait.  Make  hay  while  the  sun  shines. 
There  was  little  or  nothing  of  stern  Puritanism  in  Maiden 
Rock,  and  none  of  the  roughness  and  vice  that  flourished  in 
some  places  along  the  Mississippi  River.  Perhaps  it  was  a 
moral  gain  for  the  village,  if  it  was  of  some  commercial  dis- 
advantage to  it,  that  it  was  enough  out  of  the  way  for  the 
steamboats  so  that  they  did  not  make  it  a  regular  stopping- 
place.  Nevertheless,  for  years  it  depended  entirely  on  them 


332          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

to  come  to  get  its  shipments  of  grain  and  to  bring  supplies  of 
merchandise  to  it  or  to  Lake  City  for  it. 

The  steamboats  that  plied  the  Upper  Mississippi,  or  ran 
between  St.  Louis  and  St.  Paul,  had  to  be  somewhat  smaller  than 
could  be  run  below  St.  Louis,  on  account  of  the  differences  in  the 
depth  of  the  river,  especially  in  times  of  low  water.  The  boats 
for  the  upper  division  of  the  river  varied  in  length  as  from  150 
feet,  more  or  less,  to  the  extreme  of  240  or  250  feet,  and  in 
breadth  from  24  to  40  or  50  feet,  with  holds  of  about  5  feet  in 
depth.  They  were  all  of  one  or  the  other  of  two  types  or  classes. 
The  larger  ones,  with  side  wheels  up  to  30  feet  in  diameter  and 
quite  commonly  called  packets,  were  primarily  carriers  of  pas- 
sengers, although  all  of  them  also  carried  some  freight  and  some 
of  them  carried  mail,  which  last  fact  was  indicated  by  certain 
bands  painted  on  the  smokestacks.  The  other  boats  had  stern 
wheels  and  gave  more  prominence  to  the  freight  business  and  to 
towing,  yet  they  carried  some  passengers  too.  The  packets 
were  particularly  showy,  being  built  out  wide,  with  considerable 
height  or  space  for  stowing  freight  between  the  main  deck  and 
the  saloon  or  cabin  deck,  while  above  the  cabin,  on  the  hurricane 
deck,  was  the  texas,  containing  the  officers'  quarters,  and  above 
that  the  pilot-house.  In  the  finishing  off  and  furnishing  of  the 
main  cabin,  there  was  also  often  much  to  attract  the  eye,  some- 
times paintings  being  a  special  feature,  with  the  bluff  of  Maiden 
Rock  as  one  of  the  favorite  subjects.  The  average  life  of  the 
boats  was  said  to  be  five  years,  but  when  their  business  was 
at  its  best  they  made  money  for  their  owners  at  that,  not- 
withstanding the  shortness  of  the  season.  The  capacity  of  the 
staterooms  did  not  at  all  limit  the  number  of  passengers  that  a 
boat  carried,  but,  back  in  the  fifties,  more  people  than  it  would 
seem  possible  were  often  crowded  into  the  cabin,  while  others 
were  glad  to  find  places  on  the  lower  deck. 

From  our  house  on  the  side  of  the  hill  facing  the  lake,  we 
had  a  fine  view  of  the  upper  half  of  the  lake,  with  the  bluffs  on 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  333 

both  sides  of  it,  including  Maiden  Rock  point;  but  the  scene 
was  always  improved  when  it  contained  a  steamboat  with  a 
long  trail  of  smoke  behind  it,  as  well  as  a  goodly  wake  following 
it.  The  smoke  sometimes  had  a  soft-coal  color  and  smell, 
although  cord  wood  was  the  usual  fuel,  a  boat  consuming  about 
twenty-five  cords  a  day.  Nor  was  it  a  rare  thing  to  see  two 
or  three  boats  at  once,  going  either  in  the  same  direction  or  in 
different  directions,  while  one  of  them  might  be  a  side-wheeler 
and  another  a  stern-wheeler,  the  latter  possibly  towing  down 
the  lake  a  great  raft  of  logs  or  of  lumber.  In  the  earlier  days, 
the  rafts,  most  of  which  came  from  the  St.  Croix  River,  were 
floated  by  the  current  down  the  Mississippi  to  the  head  of  Lake 
Pepin,  whence  they  were  towed  through  the  lake,  and  from 
there  were  left  to  float  the  remainder  of  the  way  to  their  points 
of  destination  on  the  river,  being  steered  and  helped  along  by 
raftsmen  who  camped  on  them  throughout  the  journey.  Sub- 
sequently the  rafts  were  generally  towed  all  of  the  way  by 
stern-wheel  towboats. 

The  first  boat  of  the  season  was  a  particularly  welcome 
sight,  even  if  it  did  go  through  without  stopping  at  Maiden 
Rock.  Navigation  usually  opened  sometime  between  the 
middle  of  March  and  the  latter  part  of  April,  and  closed  along  in 
November,  lasting  from  200  to  240  days.  The  river  above  and 
below  Lake  Pepin  was  generally  free  from  ice  two  weeks  before 
the  lake  was,  and,  before  the  railroads  extended  to  St.  Paul, 
when  there  was  an  urgent  demand  to  get  the  first  freight  through 
as  soon  as  possible,  it  was  transported  by  boat  up  to  near  the 
foot  of  the  lake,  unloaded  there,  hauled  by  team  along  the 
Minnesota  side  to  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  loaded  on  to  another 
boat  to  be  taken  to  destination.1 

1  George  Byron  Merrick,  Old  Times  on  the  Upper  Mississippi  (Cleve- 
land: Arthur  H.  Clark  Co.,  1909),  pp.  234  ff.  Mark  Twain's  Life  on  the 
Mississippi  deals  mainly  with  the  lower  river,  but  it  has  a  short  chapter 
"On  the  Upper  River,"  and  one  on  "Legends  and  Scenery"  which  refers 
to  "that  grandest  conception  of  nature's  works,  incomparable  Lake  Pepin," 
and  to  "the  sublime  Maiden's  Rock." 


334         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

To  see  a  steamboat  on  the  lake  at  night,  with  its  rows  of 
bright,  moving  lights  set  off  against  a  broad  background  of 
darkness,  was  always  interesting,  but  the  sight  became  more 
attractive  when  the  lights  gradually  increased  in  brilliancy  by 
the  coming  nearer  of  the  boat,  for  the  purpose  of  landing.  The 
climax  was  reached  when  finally  a  large  swinging  iron  torch 
was  set  up  at  the  bow  and  fed  liberally  with  pieces  of  pitch 
pine  and  with  rosin,  which  lighted  up  strongly  the  front  of  the 
boat  and  quite  a  space  on  the  shore.  In  later  times  an  electric 
searchlight  took  the  place  of  the  torch  and  became  also  of  great 
service  to  the  pilots  in  locating  landmarks  and  in  running 
through  perilous  places  at  night. 

When  grain  was  to  be  shipped  away,  the  warehousemen 
would  arrange  to  have  sacks  left  for  the  purpose,  which  would 
be  done  by  one  of  the  boats,  the  sacks  apparently  being  furnished 
by  the  steamboat  company,  some  of  them  having  stenciled  on 
them  "  Stolen  from  the  Diamond  Jo  Line,"  to  prevent  thefts. 
Then  the  sacks  would  be  filled  with  the  grain,  tied,  and  piled 
up  on  the  main  floor  of  the  warehouse,  sometimes  crowding  the 
space  to  the  utmost.  After  that,  a  boat  going  down  the  river 
would  stop  at  the  pier  of  the  warehouse,  and  the  deck  hands  or 
roustabouts  would,  in  a  close  line,  carry  the  sacks  of  wheat  on 
their  shoulders  on  to  the  boat,  with  the  mate  continually  urging 
them  in  forcible  language  to  hurry  a  little  faster,  while  the 
loading  might  take  many  hours. 

It  was  the  stern-wheel  boats  which  more  frequently  stopped 
at  Maiden  Rock,  in  the  early  years  especially.  Then  there 
came  a  time  when  the  packets  were  more  ready  than  they  were 
before  to  do  it,  as  their  business,  which  was  not  so  good  in  the 
sixties  as  it  was  in  the  fifties,  continued  to  fall  off  in  the  seventies, 
due  principally  to  the  railroads.1  Now,  scarcely  a  steamboat 

1  In  the  latter  part  of  1870,  or  in  the  early  part  of  1871,  what  is  now  a 
portion  of  the  main  line  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway 
was  completed  from  St.  Paul  to  Lake  City,  and  by  December,  1872,  to 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  335 

of  any  description  is  ever  seen  on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  except 
an  occasional  government  boat  working  on  the  river,  to  improve 
it  by  dredging  or  otherwise,  or  an  excursion  boat  going  from 
one  town  to  another  to  take  out  excursions,  and  here  and  there 
a  local  ferryboat. 

When  we  moved  from  Lake  City  to  Maiden  Rock  in  1867 
we  did  so  on  a  small  steamboat,  which,  as  I  remember  it,  was  a 
side-wheel  one,  and  I  suppose  that  it  was  the  same  one  that 
was  built,  in  1857,  at  Maiden  Rock  for  service  exclusively  on 
Lake  Pepin.  It  left  Maiden  Rock  in  the  morning  and  returned 
there  in  the  evening,  after  making  the  round,  on  week  days,  of 
the  villages  on  the  lake  below  Maiden  Rock.  Several  years 
after  we  went  to  Maiden  Rock,  a  tugboat  was  brought  there,  in 
the  necessarily  long  and  roundabout  way,  from  Lake  Michigan. 
In  order  to  make  the  boat  larger,  it  was  cut  in  two  in  the  middle, 
the  two  parts  were  separated  some  feet,  and  the  space  between 
them  was  built  in.  The  cabin  was  also  lengthened,  and  was 
made  the  full  width  of  the  boat.  As  the  boat  remained  a 
propeller,  it  came  to  be  almost  universally  called  the  "  Polliwog." 
It  superseded  the  other  boat  in  the  service  on  the  lake.  While 
the  packets  carried  the  mail,  they  left  that  for  Maiden  Rock  at 
Lake  City,  and  the  local  boat  brought  it  from  Lake  City.  When 
the  railroad  on  the  Minnesota  side  of  the  lake  began  carrying 
the  mail,  that  for  Maiden  Rock  was  left  at  the  station  back  of 
Frontenac,  two  and  one-half  miles  across  the  lake,  and  was  daily 
brought  over  in  a  skiff  or  on  the  ice,  according  to  the  time  of 
year,  the  mail-carrier  sometimes  taking  considerable  risk  in 
crossing  the  lake,  especially  when  the  new  ice  was  still  weak  after 
the  freezing  over  of  the  lake  in  the  fall,  or  when  the  old  ice  had 


La  Crescent,  opposite  to  La  Crosse,  Wisconsin.  What  is  now  a  part  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  was  built,  in  the  eighties,  along 
the  Wisconsin  side  of  the  Mississippi  and  of  Lake  Pepin,  around  Maiden 
Rock  point  and  on  the  lake  shore  in  front  of  the  village,  to  St.  Paul,  fifty- 
two  miles  northwest. 


336         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

become  rotten  in  the  spring.  The  freezing  over  of  the  lake  and 
the  going  out  of  the  old  ice  were  both  events  of  much  concern, 
and  in  some  respects  nearly  equally  welcome.  The  opening  up 
of  the  lake  took  the  longer  time.  Gradually  the  ice  became 
honeycombed,  and  then  awaited  the  action  of  the  winds  for  its 
final  removal,  which  they  accomplished  by  blowing  it  back  and 
forth  and  breaking  it  up  with  loud  crunching,  ultimately 
sweeping  most  of  it  out  of  the  way,  or  where  it  would  go  down 
the  river. 

My  father  and  my  brother  Amos  purchased  a  skiff  which 
proved  to  be  both  a  convenience  and  a  source  of  pleasure.  It 
was  possibly  a  little  too  broad  to  be  rowed  with  the  greatest  ease, 
but  that  was  more  than  compensated  for  by  its  increased  sea- 
worthiness. There  was  hardly  a  storm  on  the  lake  too  great 
for  us  to  go  out  in  the  boat,  if  there  was  sufficient  reason  to 
do  so.  My  task  was  generally  that  of  steersman.  Sometimes 
we  took  passengers  across  the  lake  to  Frontenac,  or  we  even 
took  them  to  Lake  City,  when  they  came  too  late  for  the  little 
steamer.  But  more  often  we  used  the  boat  simply  for  our  own 
convenience  in  going  to  Lake  City,  not  infrequently  stopping 
on  the  way  at  Maiden  Rock  point  to  get  a  drink  of  cold  water 
at  the  spring  there.  Nor  was  it  always  necessary  to  row  the 
boat.  It  had  a  spritsail,  and  much  of  the  time  the  wind  fur- 
nished ample  motive  power,  with  now  and  then  more  than  was 
needed.  I  remember  once  only  to  have  felt  being  in  any 
particular  peril.  Father  and  I  had  gone  to  Lake  City  on  what 
had  promised  to  be  a  nice  day,  when  a  storm  came  up  and  the 
wind  increased  to  such  violence  that  the  little  steamer  for 
Maiden  Rock  and  several  large  steamboats  deemed  it  best  not 
to  start  out.  Still,  father  thought  that  we  could  go  home  all 
right.  A  neighbor,  who  had  bragged  much  of  what  he  had  done 
as  a  sailor  on  the  Great  Lakes,  wanted  to  go  with  us.  Father 
let  him  do  it,  and  also  let  him  do  the  sailing,  to  start  with.  The 
result  was  that  before  we  had  gone  very  far  the  boat  was  filled 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  337 

with  water  and  we  had  to  keep  bailing  it  out  until  we  could 
return  to  the  shore  and  empty  it  out.  Then  father,  who  never 
made  any  pretensions  to  being  a  sailor,  took  charge  of  the  sailing, 
and  we  went  along  without  any  further  trouble  or  apparent 
danger. 

But  the  land  as  well  as  the  water  had  its  attractions.  As 
the  lake  had  a  special  interest  by  reason  of  its  manifestations  of 
force,  so  had  the  land  on  account  of  its  rugged  character.  There 
was  before  the  eye,  whichever  way  it  turned,  a  change  of  view, 
not  barren,  but  full  of  life  and  strength,  which  gave  a  certain 
unconscious  satisfaction.  Not  only  was  the  landscape  in  season 
covered  with  green,  but  from  early  spring  on  it  was  brightened 
by  many  wild  flowers,  which  grew  in  great  variety  and  profusion. 
Nor  was  it  all  a  silent  beauty,  but  birds  of  divers  colors  and 
notes  filled  the  air  much  of  the  time  with  their  songs  and  chatter. 
A  little  way  out  of  the  village  there  were  also,  in  their  seasons , 
some  wild  strawberries,  raspberries,  blackberries,  blueberries, 
plums,  and  grapes.  In  the  autumn,  there  were,  for  the  boys, 
hazelnuts,  black  walnuts,  butternuts,  and  hickory  nuts.  Of  game 
birds,  there  were  in  the  spring  wild  ducks  and  great  flocks  of  pas- 
senger pigeons,  which  latter,  alas!  have  become  extinct,  with 
even  a  scarcity  of  mounted  specimens  for  the  museums  of 
natural  history.  In  the  fall,  there  were  again  ducks,  returning 
from  farther  north,  also  partridges,  pheasants,  prairie  chickens, 
and  quails.  There  were  also  gray  and  fox  squirrels,  some  rabbits 
and  raccoons,  and,  along  some  of  the  streams,  muskrats.  Once 
in  a  great  while  a  deer  was  seen.  Of  timber,  there  was  con- 
siderable oak,  maple,  black  walnut,  butternut,  ash,  elm,  poplar, 
and  basswood. 

One  of  the  industrial  signs  of  spring  was  the  making  of  soft 
soap  for  the  family  use  in  doing  the  washing  and  household 
cleaning.  Prior  to  that  a  barrel  of  ashes  would  be  saved,  and 
another  barrel  or  a  box  of  soap  grease  or  scraps  of  fat.  When 
the  time  came  to  make  the  soap,  water  would  be  poured  in  on 


338          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

top  of  the  barrel  of  ashes,  to  come  out  slowly  at  the  bottom 
as  lye.  The  lye  and  the  soap  grease  or  fat,  in  proper  pro- 
portions, would  be  boiled  together,  in  a  large  iron  kettle, 
out  of  doors,  to  make  the  soap.  Less  frequently  hard  soap 
might  be  made,  but  that  was  generally  purchased  at  the  store, 
comparatively  little  of  it  being  used  when  there  was  plenty  of 
the  soft  soap. 

Another  occupation  of  the  early  springtime,  for  a  relatively 
few  people  only,  and  out  in  the  country,  was  the  making  of  maple 
syrup  and  maple  sugar.  I  visited  a  sugar  bush  for  a  few  days, 
one  year.  There  was  a  one-story  log  house  there  that  was 
divided  into  two  parts,  in  one  of  which  the  men  ate  and  slept, 
while  in  the  other  the  sap  was  partly  boiled  down  in  a  great  pan 
made  for  the  purpose.  One  man  looked  after  the  cooking,  and 
the  most  of  the  boiling-down.  The  others  gathered  and  brought 
in  the  sap.  Every  maple  tree  that  was  suitable  had  been  tapped 
by  boring  a  hole  a  little  way  into  it  and  driving  into  the  hole  a 
wooden  spout  of  about  a  foot  in  length.  Under  the  outer  end 
of  the  spout,  a  wooden  trough  or  a  cheap  unpainted  wooden  pail 
without  any  handle  was  placed  to  catch  the  sap  as  it  dripped 
down.  Then  the  men  made  the  rounds  from  time  to  time,  with 
an  ox  team  drawing  a  rough  sled  on  which  there  was  a  large  cask 
or  tank  into  which  the  men  emptied  the  contents  of  the  troughs 
or  pails  for  conveyance  to  the  log  house.  After  the  partial 
boiling-down  in  the  big  pan,  the  final  sugaring-off  or  completion 
of  making  maple  syrup  or  sugar,  took  place  outside  of  the  house, 
by  further  boiling  down  to  the  desired  point,  in  a  large  iron 
kettle  such  as  the  soap-makers  used,  that  part  of  the  process, 
which  was  given  to  me  to  look  after,  requiring  constant  stirring 
and  watching.  To  test  the  degree  of  thickening,  as  well  as  to 
get  a  deliciously  sweet  mouthful,  a  little  of  the  hot  syrup  was 
poured  on  to  a  bit  of  clean  snow;  something  like  what  was  often 
done,  at  young  people's  parties,  with  maple  sugar  melted  espe- 
cially for  the  purpose.  When  thick  enough  for  maple  sugar, 


A  BIT  OF  LAKE  PEPIN 


GATHERING  SAP  FROM  MAPLE  TREES  IN  SUGAR  BUSH 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  339 

the  contents  of  the  kettle  were  dipped  out  into  molds,  to  make 
cakes  of  the  desired  shapes  and  sizes. 

The  summer  furnished  the  best  fishing,  but  nothing  extraor- 
dinarily good.  Along  the  lake  shore,  bass,  pike,  and  pickerel 
might  be  caught,  which  was  usually  done  by  trolling  with  a 
spoon  hook.  Catfish  were  sometimes  caught  by  setting  baited 
lines,  overnight,  at  the  warehouse  pier,  or  in  Rush  River. 
Muskellunge  and  sturgeon  were  got  farther  out  in  the  lake. 
There  was  little  seining  and  less  spearing  done. 

In  the  winter  the  scene  on  the  lake  was  far  more  animated 
than  it  was  in  the  summer.  To  begin  with,  and  continuing 
until  it  was  somewhat  spoiled  by  the  snow,  there  was  a  great 
deal  of  skating  on  the  ice  in  front  of  the  village.  Thereafter 
there  was  less  skating  done,  and  the  most  of  that  which  was 
done  was  confined  to  places  where  the  water  overflowed  the  ice 
and  snow  and  froze.  But  it  was  the  teaming  that  was  done  over 
the  lake  throughout  the  winter,  from  the  time  that  the  ice  got 
strong  enough  for  it  until  it  became  too  weak  again  in  the 
spring,  that  broke  the  monotony  that  must  otherwise  have 
prevailed,  and  enlivened  the  view.  At  almost  any  hour  from 
early  morning  until  dark  in  the  evening  of  fairly  pleasant  week 
days,  a  person  could  see  horse  teams  going  or  coming,  sometimes 
scores  of  them  at  once.  Of  course,  sleds  only  were  used,  except 
now  and  then  a  cutter.  Certain  roads  were  generally  followed, 
either  for  directness  or  for  avoiding  ridges  in  the  ice,  and  because 
the  horses  could  travel  easier  in  them  than  on  the  smooth  ice, 
or  on  unbroken  snow  on  the  ice.  The  ridges,  not  only  in  mid- 
lake,  but  more  or  less  along  the  shore,  were  formed  by  the 
expansion  or  the  movement  of  the  ice  from  one  cause  or  another, 
the  event  often  being  accompanied  by  either  a  loud  report  or 
a  great  grinding  sound.  What  the  teams  hauled  mostly  were 
loads  of  cordwood  or  of  timber  from  the  country  back  of  Maiden 
Rock,  some  of  it  being  first  hauled  in  and  piled  up  on  the  ice  or 
elsewhere  to  be  reloaded  and  taken  from  there.  The  reason  that 


340          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

there  was  so  much  of  such  hauling  was  that  the  people  of  Lake 
City  and  many  of  the  farmers  on  the  Minnesota  side  of  the  lake 
were  largely  dependent  on  the  more  timbered  land  of  Wisconsin 
for  their  fuel  and  fence  posts,  while  railroad  ties  also  came 
to  be  needed;  and  the  winter,  when  the  lake  was  securely 
bridged  over  with  ice,  was  the  best  time  to  get  the  year's 
supplies. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  say  whether  a  boy  got  more  of  real 
enjoyment  out  of  the  summer  or  out  of  the  winter  at  Maiden 
Rock.  The  pleasures  of  the  two  seasons  were  entirely  different, 
and  when  either  came  he  was  generally  glad  for  the  change. 
But  Maiden  Rock  was  a  particularly  good  place  for  coasting,  or 
sliding  downhill,  as  it  was  commonly  called,  because  there  were 
good  hills  right  at  hand,  and  usually  plenty  of  lasting  snow  for 
it.  The  south  hill,  on  which  we  lived,  was  the  favorite,  being 
long  enough  and  steep  enough,  without  being  too  steep  or  too 
rough.  There  was  no  prohibition  against  coasting  in  the  road, 
and  I  recall  no  serious  injury  from  it.  If  a  boy  unexpectedly 
met  a  team,  he  steered  his  sled  to  the  side  of  the  road  and 
tumbled  off  into  the  snow.  What  were  considered  the  best 
handsleds  were  made  by  the  village  wagon-  and  sleigh-maker. 
They  had  solid  hardwood  board  runners,  and  for  shoes,  half- 
round  irons,  or,  better  yet,  round  irons  partly  sunk  in  grooves, 
the  ironing  being  done  by  the  blacksmith.  Subsequently,  a 
boy  had  to  have  two  such  sleds,  combined  with  a  connecting 
board  about  i  foot  wide  and  6  or  7  feet  long  to  form  a  bobsled, 
which  the  boy,  sitting  on  the  board,  would  steer  by  pulling  on  a 
rope  attached  to  the  two  ends  of  a  crosspiece  on  the  front  sled, 
that  sled,  by  a  bolt  through  its  center,  being  loosely  attached  to 
the  board,  so  that  it  could  be  turned  as  on  a  pivot,  while  the  rear 
sled  was  attached  to  the  board  with  two  bolts  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  have  a  little  play  up  and  down,  but  not  sidewise.  Two 
or  three  other  boys  could  ride  behind  the  one  who  steered. 
Occasionally  some  large  boys  got  a  teamster's  sled,  and  one  of 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  341 

them,  sitting  on  his  small  handsled  in  front,  held  the  end  of  the 
tongue  of  the  large  sled  and  thus  guided  it  while  it  carried  down 
the  hill  a  load  of  happy  youth.  Then  there  was  sometimes  a 
sleigh-ride  by  team,  in  a  large  bobsleigh  with  a  wagon  box  on 
the  sleds,  the  box  having  hay  or  straw  put  into  it  to  sit  on,  down 
in  the  bottom  of  the  box,  some  of  those  going  for  the  ride  sitting 
with  their  backs  to  one  side  of  the  box  and  others  with  their 
backs  to  the  other  side,  thus  facing  one  another,  with  robes  or 
blankets  over  their  laps. 

However,  going  to  school  was,  for  about  seven  or  eight  years, 
the  main  business  of  a  boy's  or  of  a  girl's  life  at  Maiden  Rock. 
But  I  did  not  begin  going  to  school  until  after  we  had  been  at 
Maiden  Rock  a  little  while.  Nor  was  I  set  to  studying  at  home 
very  early.  Yet  after  I  was  once  put  to  studying,  I  was  kept 
at  it  pretty  regularly,  even  more  or  less  during  vacations,  with- 
out any  crowding;  and  I  believe  my  studying  at  home  counted 
for  more  than  did  my  first  years  at  school.  Much  of  my  study- 
ing I  did  in  my  father's  shop,  often  having  lessons  to  learn  while 
other  boys  were  out  playing.  Moreover,  I  was  not  allowed  to 
go  out  to  play  at  night,  or  after  supper,  as  it  was  termed,  the 
three  meals  of  the  day  being  breakfast,  dinner  (hot  or  cold,  at 
noon),  and  supper.  That  gave  me  the  evening,  in  the  winter 
especially,  for  books  or  reading  and  studying,  from  which  I 
acquired  something  of  a  habit  of  studying  by  myself  and  without 
dependence  on  having  prescribed  lessons  or  a  teacher. 

The  schoolhouse  at  Maiden  Rock,  which  was  built  in  1860, 
was  a  one-story  frame  one,  a  little  longer  than  it  was  wide.  It 
was  a  short  distance  up  the  ravine,  one  end  of  it  being  near 
the  base  of  the  north  hill.  In  the  other  end  there  were  two 
entrances,  one  for  the  boys  and  one  for  the  girls,  each  entrance 
being  through  a  small  vestibule  with  hooks  on  which  to  hang  hats 
or  caps  and  wraps.  On  the  sides  of  the  building  were  the 
windows,  with  outside  shutters  which  were  painted  green,  while 
the  building  itself  was  painted  white.  On  top  and  near  the 


34$  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

front  end  of  the  roof  was  an  open  belfry  that  had  in  it  a  rather 
small  bell.  In  the  building  there  was  one  room  only,  which 
contained  four  rows  of  combined  wooden  desks  and  seats,  for 
two  pupils  each,  with  a  total  seating  capacity  of  eighty  or  more. 
A  wood  stove  furnished  the  heat  needed  in  winter.  A  wooden 
pail  and  a  tin  dipper  were  used  for  the  drinking-water,  which 
was  brought  in  from  a  well  close  by.  Kerosene  lamps,  suspended 
from  the  ceiling  or  held  in  brackets  on  the  sides  of  the  room, 
furnished  the  light  whenever  needed  at  night.  Several  of  the 
larger  boys,  without  any  special  necessity  for  it,  kept  their 
schoolbooks  under  lock  and  key  in  wooden  boxes  which  they 
had  made  for  them. 

Schoolbooks  were  almost  invariably  bound  in  boards, 
having  the  outside  covering  of  paper  instead  of  cloth,  in  con- 
sequence of  which  the  covers  soon  became  badly  worn  and 
soiled.  That  led  some  mothers  and  many  of  the  older  pupils 
to  cover  the  books  with  colored  calico  or  other  cloth,  or  with 
strong  brown  wrapping-paper. 

Copy  books  for  practice  in  penmanship  were  at  first  made  at 
home,  of  the  desired  size,  out  of  foolscap  paper,  with  a  brown 
paper  cover,  all  being  stitched  together.  The  teacher  wrote 
on  the  lines  at  the  tops  of  the  pages  the  copies,  which  consisted 
of  admonitory  proverbs.  Then  came  copy  books  with  engraved 
copies,  which  were  still  usually  proverbs  or  of  that  nature. 
Instead  of  improving,  the  pupil's  writing  more  often  became 
poorer  the  farther  down  the  page  he  got  from  the  copy. 

In  the  summer  a  woman  was  always  employed  to  teach  the 
school;  but  in  the  winter,  when  more  and  older  pupils  attended, 
some  of  them  young  men,  a  man  was  generally  the  teacher. 
Two  of  the  men  who  were  at  different  times  teachers  I  think  of 
as  having  been  particularly  good  ones.  For  me  it  was  a  great 
advantage  to  have  one  who  was  willing  to  let  me  take  up  special 
studies  and  was  able  to  give  me  some  help  in  them,  bookkeeping 
being  one  of  the  subjects.  Corporal  punishment  was  not  used, 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  343 

unless  it  was  sometimes  in  the  application  of  the  ferule  to  the 
palm  of  the  hand. 

In  various  respects  I  felt  very  keenly  the  loss  of  my  mother 
just  before  I  was  twelve  years  old.  Then,  after  a  due  time, 
father  brought  into  our  home  a  woman  who  was  an  entire 
stranger  to  me,  to  be  my  stepmother.1  His  second  marriage 
was  wise,  as  by  it  he  got  a  good  wife  who  for  over  thirty  years 
faithfully  shared  with  him  the  burdens  of  most  of  his  later  life, 
which  otherwise  he  would  have  had  to  bear  alone.  She  was 
different  from  my  mother,  but  I  came  to  appreciate  highly  her 
faithfulness  and  other  good  qualities. 

From  the  time  when  I  became  old  enough  to  work  and  to 
earn  wages,  I  was  permitted  to  work  where  and  about  as  much 
as  I  wanted  to,  and  to  have  what  I  earned,  the  understanding 
being  that  I  should  use  what  was  necessary  of  my  earnings  to 
provide  for  myself  needed  clothing,  and  when  I  worked  steadily 
pay  a  moderate  sum  for  my  board.  That  was  better  than  most 
boys  were  treated  in  that  regard,  and  it  was  intended  to  develop 
industry  and  self-reliance.  I  worked  at  certain  seasons  only,  when 
not  going  to  school  or  studying  at  home.  Two  or  three  times 
I  went  to  Minnesota  to  help  in  the  harvesting,  being  attracted, 
as  were  many,  by  wages  of  from  $3.50  to  $5.00  a  day,  with  board. 

An  old  farmer  used  to  say  to  me,  "Take  whichever  road  you 
will,  you  will  be  sorry  that  you  did  not  take  the  other."  The 
road  which  first  opened  before  me,  and  somewhat  allured  me, 
was  to  a  village  mercantile  life,  the  opportunity  to  begin  as  a 
clerk  in  one  of  the  stores  having  been  given  me. 

When  I  was  about  fourteen  years  old,  a  physician  who  had 
been  located  at  Maiden  Rock  for  several  years,  with  a  practice 
that  extended  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  back  into  the  country, 

1  Father  married,  on  December  12,  1872,  for  his  second  wife,  Miss 
Huldah  Jane  Holcomb,  of  Rock  Elm,  Wisconsin,  where  he  had  sometimes 
gone  to  preach.  She  died  on  April  29,  1904,  aged  sixty-three  years  and 
twelve  days.  Of  that  marriage,  one  child  was  born,  a  son,  on  July  7,  1876, 
who  was  named  Franklin  Henry  Rosenberger.  He  died  on  August  i,  1900, 


344          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

bought  out  the  drug-store  that  had  been  established  in  the 
village  for  a  while,  and  hired  me  to  work  for  him  for  one  year 
for  one  hundred  dollars.  Young  as  I  was,  and  without  any 
special  previous  training  for  it,  I  was  left  in  sole  charge  of  the 
store  during  the  doctor's  absences,  in  some  instances  for  days 
at  a  time,  and  yet  got  along  pretty  well.  I  had  his  horse,  a  very 
spirited  one,  to  take  care  of,  the  store  to  keep  clean,  the  stove 
and  the  lamps  to  look  after,  bottles  and  utensils  to  wash,  to 
wait  on  customers,  and  to  put  up  prescriptions,  which  last, 
fortunately,  was  confined  mainly  to  times  when  the  doctor 
himself  was  present,  as  most  of  the  prescriptions  were  his,  given 
orally.  But  I  was  ready  to  quit  at  the  end  of  my  year,  my 
ambitions  lying  more  in  other  directions. 

After  that,  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  largest  stores  in 
Lake  City  came  over  to  Maiden  Rock  and  asked  me  to  go  to  try 
the  work  in  their  store.  A  general  store  like  that  one  was  a  proto- 
type of  the  modern  department  store,  in  that  it  kept  for  sale 
about  everything  that  people  wanted,  except  perhaps  hardware, 
millinery,  and  drugs,  while  real  country  stores  kept  some  of 
those  articles  too.  That  particular  store  kept  a  good  stock  of 
dry  goods,  hats,  caps,  clothing,  boots  and  shoes,  groceries,  china, 
and  other  commodities,  and  bought  butter  and  eggs  from  the 
farmers.  Kerosene  oil,  vinegar,  molasses,  sugar,  and  some  other 
things  were  purchased  for  the  store  in  barrels,  and  sold  from 
them.  There  were  few  things  put  up  for  sale  in  the  original 
packages.  Canned  goods,  such  as  are  now  so  much  used,  were 
then  unknown.  People  who  wanted  anything  canned  or  pre- 
served generally  put  it  up  for  themselves,  in  the  proper  season, 
as  we  did  with  our  fruits  and  berries.  Sweet  corn  and  tomatoes 
were  about  the  only  vegetables  ever  canned,  and  those  not  to 
any  great  extent.  Winter  apples  were  shipped  in  barrels,  in  the 
fall,  from  either  Michigan  or  New  York  State.  Candy,  mostly 
of  the  stick  kind,  came  in  five-pound  pasteboard  boxes  and  was 
put  into  glass  jars  which  were  kept  on  a  shelf.  There  were  no 


VILLAGE  LIFE  FROM  1867  TO  1879  345 

plate  glass  windows,  and  no  displays  of  goods  were  made  in  the 
store  windows.  I  had  to  open  and  to  clean  the  store  in  the 
morning,  and  to  close  it  at  night,  at  about  nine  o'clock,  the  same 
closing  hour  that  I  had  in  Maiden  Rock.  Such  spare  time  as 
I  had  I  spent  in  reading  a  history  of  Rome.  After  I  had  duly 
tried  the  work,  I  concluded  that,  while  I  liked  it  in  some  ways, 
I  did  not  want  to  enter  into  the  contract  for  three  years  which 
was  offered  to  me  with  the  expectation  that  I  would  make 
merchandising  my  permanent  business. 

Then  I  went  to  school  again  in  the  winter,  at  Maiden  Rock, 
and  worked  off  and  on  a  great  deal  of  the  time  for  several  years 
in  the  nursery  and  on  the  farm  which  my  father  and  my  brother 
Amos  had  opened  up  on  the  hill  a  little  over  a  mile  back  of 
Maiden  Rock,  my  brother  having  learned  the  nursery  business, 
and  my  father  having  given  up  his  shoemaking.  Thus  I 
learned  something  about  farming,  and  considerable  about  the 
nursery  business.  I  acquired  a  fairly  good  working  knowledge 
of  how  to  raise  and  take  care  of  seedlings  for  grafting,  what  and 
how  to  graft,  likewise  about  planting,  cultivating,  trimming, 
digging,  filling  orders,  packing,  shipping,  and  delivering  apple 
and  crab-apple  trees,  grapevines,  and  berry  bushes.  I  also 
became  able  to  distinguish  many  varieties  of  apple  trees  by 
peculiarities  in  the  color  or  shape  of  their  leaves  or  the  forms  of 
their  tops  or  branches,  as  each  variety  seemed  to  have  some 
special  feature. 

In  the  meanwhile  I  kept  at  my  studies  as  best  I  could,  took 
a  county  teacher's  examination,  got  a  second-grade  teacher's 
certificate,  and  later  a  first-grade  certificate.  That  led  to  my 
doing  some  teaching  in  country  districts  in  the  county,  begin- 
ning in  the  fall  of  1876.  I  received  about  $40  or  $50  a  month, 
and  paid  about  $2.50  a  week  for  board.  I  had  to  open  the 
schoolhouse  in  the  morning,  build  the  fire,  and  sweep  out  after 
school.  The  pupils  ranged  all  of  the  way  from  those  who  had 
the  alphabet  to  learn  to  young  men  and  young  women  well 


346         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

along  in  arithmetic,  grammar,  geography,  the  history  of  the 
United  States,  and  wanting  to  take  up  algebra  and  other  studies. 
A  teacher  could  only  make  a  list  of  everything  the  pupils 
wanted  to  study,  divide  up  the  time  as  equitably  as  possible 
among  all  of  the  subjects,  and  then  do  the  best  that  he  could 
hi  the  time  allotted  for  each  one,  giving  some  of  the  younger 
pupils,  who  had  but  one  book  to  study,  as  many  as  four  short 
recitations  each  day.  Nevertheless,  I  enjoyed  many  things 
about  that  work,  and  I  have  always  felt  that  the  teaching  of 
children  during  their  formative  years,  whether  in  a  country 
school  or  elsewhere,  is  about  as  useful  an  occupation  as  a  person 
can  find,  unless  he  is  clearly  better  fitted  by  nature  to  do  some- 
thing else. 

However,  I  was  still  irresistibly  drawn  in  a  different  direc- 
tion from  any  in  which  I  had  yet  labored,  and  my  next  step  was 
virtually  determined  by  the  fact  that  in  1879  father  wanted 
to  go  to  a  somewhat  warmer  climate,  and  bought  eighty  acres  of 
land,  where  the  surface  was  rolling,  along  the  railroad,  a  little 
over  three  miles  north  of  lola,  Kansas,  to  which  place  he  moved 
that  fall.  To  be  more  specific,  I  had  developed  the  notion  that 
I  wanted  to  be  a  lawyer;  I  had  read  Blackstone;  and  father 
suggested  that  I  correspond  with  the  lawyer  connected  with  the 
real  estate,  or  land  office  as  it  was  called,  in  Tola  through  which 
he  had  purchased  his  farm,  which  resulted  in  my  also  going 
to  lola. 


CHAPTER  III 
WORKING  AND  STUDYING 

The  city  of  lola  is  situated  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the 
state  of  Kansas,  on  the  Neosho  River,  one  hundred  and  ten 
miles  by  railroad  southwest  of  Kansas  City.  It  has  a  some- 
what warm  and  dry  climate — perhaps  a  little  too  dry  at  times, 
and  too  warm  a  few  days  in  the  summer  for  the  greatest  com- 
fort, although  its  hottest  days  are  generally  followed  by  cool 
nights.  Then  it  sometimes  suffers  from  cold  waves  such  as 
sweep  over  all  sections  of  the  country.  But  the  weather  a 
large  part  of  the  year  is  delightful.  The  population  of  the  city 
was  1,096  according  to  the  census  of  1880. 

I  spent  two  pleasant  years  in  lola.  I  believe  that  they  were 
also  profitable  years  for  me,  on  account  of  the  peculiar  practical 
experience  in  business  which  they  afforded  me.  There  was 
enough  of  varied  business  activity  there  to  create  a  good  busi- 
ness atmosphere,  while  it  was  still  easy,  because  the  place  was 
not  larger  than  it  was,  to  get  pretty  well  acquainted  with  all  of 
the  different  business  men.  There  were  two  or  three  dry-goods 
stores,  as  many  grocery  stores,  a  hardware  store,  a  drug-store, 
a  furniture  store,  a  bank,  a  newspaper  and  printing  office,  a 
real-estate  office,  a  dealer  in  farm  implements,  a  grain  elevator, 
a  livery  stable,  a  blacksmith  shop,  a  shoeshop,  several  lawyers, 
two  physicians,  a  post-office,  railroad  station,  three  hotels,  three 
or  four  churches,  and  adequate  school  accommodations.  The 
chief  distinction  of  lola,  however,  consisted  in  its  being  the 
county  seat  of  Allen  County,  and  that  it  was  the  county  seat 
was  of  a  decided  advantage  to  me  in  that  it  gave  me  an  oppor- 
tunity to  become  familiar  with  the  various  offices  and  records 

347 


348         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

of  the  county.  A  few  years  later  the  city  gained  new  impor- 
tance from  the  discovery  in  its  locality  of  natural  gas,  which 
was  piped  to  it  and  led  to  the  establishment  of  several  large 
smelters  for  reducing  zinc  ore  shipped  in  from  Missouri,  and  of 
plants  for  the  manufacture  of  sulphuric  acid,  Portland  cement, 
and  brick.  That  was  followed  by  a  great  increase  in  population. 

The  offices  which  gave  me  quite  a  unique  position  were  in 
a  long,  old,  weather-beaten,  one-story  frame  building,  one  end 
of  which  faced  on  the  main  business  street  that  ran  along  one 
side  of  a  large  central  public  square  which  was  not  used  at  that 
time.  In  that  end  of  the  building,  in  a  room  none  too  large,  was 
the  real  estate  office.  In  a  little  larger  room  at  the  other  or 
rear  end  of  the  building,  there  was  a  law  office.  The  two  offices 
were  conducted  more  or  less  together,  under  some  kind  of 
partnership  arrangement,  and  jointly  furnished  me  my  employ- 
ment, there  being  no  other  employee  in  either  office,  except  a 
man  in  the  real  estate  office  to  show  land  to  prospective  pur- 
chasers. The  real  estate  office  did  a  general  real  estate,  loan, 
and  insurance  business,  besides  having  the  agency  for  the  sale 
of  such  railroad-owned  farming  land  as  there  was  yet  undisposed 
of  in  that  vicinity.  The  man  who  conducted  that  business 
was  an  unusually  good  business  man,  who  worked  long  hours 
and  had  the  fullest  confidence  of  the  public.  The  lawyer  like- 
wise was  a  good,  capable  man,  who  was  at  the  time  the  mayor 
of  the  city. 

Between  the  two  offices,  I  soon  found  plenty  of  work  to  do. 
It  began  early  in  the  morning  with  sweeping  out  and  cleaning 
up  the  offices,  and  ended  with  closing  them  at  night,  after 
they  had  been  kept  open  through  the  evening.  But  most  of 
my  work  was  clerical,  and  of  a  somewhat  legal  character. 
Everything  was  still  written  out  by  hand,  and  copies  of  docu- 
ments had  each  to  be  made  in  that  laborious  manner.  There 
was  no  thought  of  using  a  typewriter;  nor  do  I  remember  to 
have  seen  one  anywhere  in  lola  at  that  time. 


WORKING  AND  STUDYING  349 

The  most  notable  undertaking  for  which  those  offices  were 
a  center  was  the  securing,  against  strong  competition,  of  the 
location  through  lola  of  a  section  of  railroad  that  was  built 
from  Fort  Scott  to  Wichita,  Kansas,  which  undoubtedly  had 
not  a  little  to  do  with  the  subsequent  development  of  lola. 
For  quite  a  while  the  promoters  and  builders  of  the  road  were 
much  in  the  law  office,  in  particular,  and  considerable  of  the 
promotional  work  was  done  there. 

My  most  important  employment,  on  the  whole,  however, 
was  the  searching  of  the  county  records  and  the  making  there- 
from of  abstracts  of  title  to  real  estate.  I  had  a  great  deal  of 
that  work  to  do.  I  was  started  on  it  surprisingly  soon.  My 
abstracts,  certified  to  by  myself,  were  used  not  only  in  con- 
nection with  local  sales  of  land,  but  for  loans  made  by  a  banking 
company  in  New  York  and  by  other  lenders  of  money  on  real 
estate.  Moreover,  I  had  the  credit  of  making  the  first  abstracts 
of  title  on  which  loans  could  be  obtained  on  certain  railroad 
lands  in  the  hands  of  settlers,  as  I  gave  essential  information 
that  previously  had  been  omitted. 

Along  with  my  work,  I  did  some  studying  of  law,  but  it  was 
necessarily  limited.  I  also  took  a  course  in  shorthand,  by 
correspondence.  That  afterward  proved  to  be  very  helpful  to 
me.  It  had  been  a  question  in  my  mind  as  to  whether  the  best 
way  for  me  to  become  a  lawyer  would  be  by  going  into  a  law 
office.  How  I  first  decided  the  question  was  shown  by  the  action 
that  I  took.  No  compensation  was  promised  me  for  my  work, 
beyond  what  I  might  derive  in  practical  benefit  from  being  in  the 
office,  but  I  was  soon  paid  a  little,  and  finally  enough  to  cover 
my  necessary  expenses.  Then,  when  the  year  1881  was  nearing 
its  close  and  I  was  approaching  twenty-two  years  of  age,  I  came 
to  feel,  from  my  wider  experience  and  outlook,  that  I  could  still 
lay  a  better  foundation  for  my  after-life.  Clearly,  if  that  was  so, 
there  was  no  time  to  be  lost  in  setting  about  doing  it,  if  it  could 
be  done  notwithstanding  a  lack  of  adequate  funds  in  hand  for  it. 


350          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

The  result  was  that  I  gave  up  my  position  in  lola  and  went 
to  Chicago  as  soon  as  I  could  well  do  it;  and  in  January,  1882, 
I  was  enrolled  as  a  student  at  the  old  University  of  Chicago. 
There  I  spent  four  years  in  study,  three  years  less  one  term  in 
the  preparatory  department,  and  one  year  and  one  term  in  the 
collegiate  department,  or  through  the  first  term  of  the  sopho- 
more year  (in  the  class  of  1888),  leaving  there  at  the  close 
of  1885. 

At  the  University  I  found,  even  in  the  preparatory  depart- 
ment, other  students  as  old  as  I  was  and  quite  a  number  who 
were  working  their  way  through,  as  well  as  several  who  were 
not  only  supporting  themselves,  but  occasionally  sending  small 
sums  of  money  home  to  help  out  there. 

The  University  had  but  one  building,  which  was  never  fully 
completed,  as  the  original  design  had  been  to  have  a  central  or 
main  part  with  north  and  south  wings,  while  only  the  main 
part  and  the  south  wing  were  ever  built.  Nevertheless,  with 
its  turrets  and  towers,  it  was  quite  an  imposing  structure, 
especially  when  it  was  viewed  from  a  southeasterly  direction, 
as  it  stood  in  the  center  of  a  lawnlike  campus  with  trees  here 
and  there  about  it.  The  building  was  constructed  of  a  rough- 
faced,  light-colored  stone,  the  main  part  and  the  main  portion 
of  the  south  wing  being  five  stories  in  height,  counting  the 
basement.  Joined  to  the  main  part  of  the  building,  in  the  rear, 
on  the  west  side,  was  the  astronomical  Dearborn  Observatory. 
In  the  main  part  of  the  building  were  the  recitation  rooms  and 
the  chapel.  Four  of  the  professors,  two  or  three  of  them 
married,  had  rooms  and  lived  in  the  building.  The  remainder  of 
it,  above  the  basement,  was  subdivided  principally  into  outside 
study-rooms,  each  with  two  small  interior  sleeping-rooms,  which 
constituted  the  chief  dormitory  accommodations  for  the  young 
men.  Table-board  was  furnished  by  a  club,  in  a  dining-room 
in  the  basement,  near  where  the  janitor  lived.  Most  of  the 
young  women  who  attended  the  University  were  residents  of 


WORKING  AND  STUDYING  351 

Chicago  and  lived  at  home,  while  the  others  boarded  in  private 
families. 

As  a  matter  of  necessary  economy,  I  chose  a  room  on  the 
top  floor  of  the  main  part  of  the  building,  where  several  other 
young  men  had  their  rooms,  and  boarded  themselves,  or  lived 
much  as  I  deemed  that  it  would  be  expedient  for  me  to  live  for 
a  while.1  The  windows  there  were  of  the  dormer  style  and  were 
so  high  up  and  so  placed  that  a  person  standing  on  the  floor 
could  see  nothing  but  a  bit  of  the  sky,  which,  however,  was  no 
great  disadvantage  for  a  student.  Some  called  it  "  Cynic 
Hall."  A  small  iron  bedstead  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary 
cot;  a  small,  plain  wooden  table;  two  or  three  common  wooden 
chairs;  and  a  small  sheet-iron  coal  stove,  were  the  principal 
furnishings  of  those  rooms.  Whatever  more  was  wanted  the 
students  had  to  provide.  They  had  also  to  buy  their  own  coal, 
carry  it  up,  and  carry  down  the  ashes,  as  well  as  to  take  care 
of  their  rooms  and  have  their  laundering  done. 

The  life  that  I  thus  entered  upon  I  did  not  count  one  of  any 
hardship.  I  had  been  taught  from  the  time  that  I  was  large 
enough  for  it  to  help  as  I  could,  when  needed,  with  the  house- 
work at  home,  and  found  no  difficulty  or  unpleasantness  in 
taking  care  of  myself  at  this  time,  particularly  with  others  about 
me  doing  the  same  thing.  When  I  came  to  need  the  time  more 
for  other  work,  I  moved  into  one  of  the  suites  in  the  south  wing, 
where  I  had  a  roommate  to  share  in  the  care  of  the  rooms;  and  I 
then  took  my  meals  in  the  dining-room. 

Nearly  all  of  the  students  who  lived  in  the  University  build- 
ing were  either  partially  or  entirely  self-supporting.  Some  of 
them  carried  newspapers  in  the  morning,  delivering  them  at  the 
houses.  Others  did  similar  work  in  the  afternoon.  The  aver- 
age time  required  was  from  an  hour  and  a  half  to  two  hours  a 

TOne  of  the  students  was  wont  to  sing: 

"Practice  economy, 
But  don't  be  mean." 


352  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

day.  Two  or  three  of  the  students  owned  their  own  routes 
and  had  whatever  they  could  make  out  of  them.  The  others 
worked  for  general  deliverers  of  the  papers  and  earned  from  $3 
to  $3.50  a  week.  Then,  once  a  month,  a  number  of  students, 
including  some  of  those  who  carried  newspapers,  found  employ- 
ment for  three  or  four  days  taking  gas-meter  statements  for 
the  gas  company,  going  from  house  to  house  on  designated 
streets  and  noting  in  a  book  provided  for  the  purpose  the  read- 
ings of  the  gas  meters,  and  afterward  delivering  the  gas  bills 
made  out  therefrom  by  the  company.  Some  might  do  it  with- 
out missing  their  classes,  while  others  got  excused  from  their 
recitations  for  it.  It  paid  about  $1.75  a  day.  But  what  was 
deemed  the  most  desirable  work,  because  it  paid  $25  or  so  a 
month,  was  the  lighting  and  extinguishing  of  gas  street  lamps. 
That,  however,  but  few  could  get,  and  those  few  usually  held 
on  to  it  as  long  as  they  remained  at  the  University,  and  then 
arranged  as  to  who  should  have  their  places.  The  hours  for 
doing  that  work  varied  according  to  the  moonlight,  sometimes 
the  lighting  of  the  lamps  being  early  in  the  evening  and  again 
late  at  night,  while  the  time  for  extinguishing  them  was  as 
variable,  from  convenient  to  very  inconvenient  hours  for  sleep. 
The  lighting  was  done  with  a  torch  on  the  end  of  a  stick  much 
like  a  broom  handle,  and  the  extinguishing  was  perhaps  done 
with  an  old  broom  handle.  Various  stories  have  been  told  of 
how  students  doing  that  work,  or  carrying  newspapers,  managed 
to  do  more  or  less  studying  of  their  lessons  at  the  same  time. 
There  was  little  or  no  tutoring  to  be  got  among  the  students, 
and  not  much  of  it  on  the  outside. 

As  a  newcomer  and  a  stranger  in  the  city,  I  was  very  glad 
that  I  could  almost  at  once  begin  earning  $2.50  a  week  by 
carrying  a  newspaper  that  then  had  no  Sunday  edition,  which 
last  fact  also  reconciled  me  to  the  further  facts  that  I  had  to 
get  up  at  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  had  consider- 
able more  territory  to  cover  than  had  the  carriers  of  the  other 


WORKING  AND  STUDYING  353 

papers,  who  had  routes  much  nearer  the  University.  After- 
ward, I  added  to  that  work  the  taking  of  gas-meter  statements. 
Then  a  man  who  was  connected  with  the  general  freight  office 
in  Chicago  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad 
Company,  and  who  had  come  to  know  me,  offered  me  employ- 
ment in  that  office  for  such  hours  as  I  could  work,  which  I,  of 
course,  accepted.  From  that  office  I  was  before  long  transferred 
to  the  freight  claim  office.  There  I  worked  in  the  afternoons  of 
school  days,  and  all  day  on  Saturdays  and  during  my  vacations, 
payment  being  made  therefor  on  a  monthly  basis  for  the  actual 
number  of  hours  that  I  worked.  In  the  claim  office,  at  one 
time  or  another,  I  did  something  of  almost  every  kind  of  work 
done  in  the  office,  from  adding  long  columns  of  figures  and 
keeping  records  to  making  vouchers  for  the  refund  of  over- 
charges, investigating  claims,  and  checking  over  the  work  of 
others,  of  which  last  I  did  a  great  deal.  I  was  treated  very 
considerately  in  that  office,  under  three  successive  claim  agents. 
I  want  to  say,  too,  that  it  was  my  decided  conviction  from 
what  I  observed  that  all  of  the  men  employed  there  endeavored 
to  be  perfectly  fair  in  their  treatment  of  claimants,  although 
some  of  the  latter  complained  of  the  amounts  allowed  them, 
or  of  the  length  of  time  that  they  had  to  wait  for  settlements, 
due  to  seemingly  almost  unavoidable  causes,  such  as  handling 
the  claims  in  their  order  and  getting  the  information  necessary 
for  their  proper  adjustment,  often  from  different  stations  and 
from  different  railroads. 

There  was  no  gymnasium  at  the  University.  There  had 
been  a  time  when  the  young  men  who  attended  the  University 
gave  a  moderate  amount  of  attention  to  sports,  such  as  the 
playing  of  baseball  and  the  maintenance  of  boating  clubs  for  row- 
ing on  the  lake,  each  club  owning  its  own  boat.  But  that  day  had 
passed  with  the  period  of  the  greatest  apparent  prosperity  of  the 
University.  At  the  time  now  under  review  most  of  the  students 
got  too  much  physical  exercise  from  their  outside  work,  and 


354          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

had  too  little  time  left,  to  indulge  very  much  in  sports  or 
athletics.  Nor  was  there  any  hazing,  so  far  as  I  know. 

There  were  nine  or  ten  men  in  the  faculty  of  the  University 
who  gave  practically  their  whole  time  to  the  work  of  the  colle- 
giate and  the  preparatory  departments.  They  were  all  of  them 
good,  scholarly  men,  kept  there  by  a  sense  of  duty  and  faith  in 
the  future  of  the  institution.  But  their  lot  was  a  hard  one, 
owing  to  the  small  compensation  which  they  received  for  their 
services  and  the  number  of  hours  of  diversified  instruction  that 
was  required  of  them,  some  of  them,  as  the  professors  of  mathe- 
matics, Greek,  and  the  sciences,  having  to  give  either  all  or 
most  of  the  instruction  in  their  subjects  in  the  preparatory  as 
well  as  in  the  collegiate  department,  while  for  a  time  the  pro- 
fessor of  Latin  taught  all  of  the  Latin  and  a  class  in  French, 
or  at  another  time  one  in  Greek.  Still,  the  work  of  the  classical 
course  was  considered  to  be  particularly  good,  and  to  compare 
favorably  with  that  of  other  colleges. 

But  there  was  all  the  while  a  dark,  overhanging  cloud  in 
the  financial  condition  of  the  University,  which  it  was  declared 
did  not  injuriously  affect  the  quality  of  the  work  done,  although 
it  did  prevent  any  development  of  the  institution  and  led 
finally  to  its  suspension.  Encouraging  reports  and  disquieting 
rumors  followed  one  another  at  various  intervals  through  the 
years,  yet  a  certain  amount  of  hope  and  confidence  persisted 
to  the  last.  The  crisis  was  reached  in  1885  when  a  decree  was 
entered  by  a  federal  court  foreclosing  the  mortgage  on  the  land 
and  the  building  of  the  University  and  ordering  the  sale  of  the 
property,  which  took  place  on  May  9,  with  fifteen  months 
allowed  for  redemption.  Many  who  had  been  hopeful  before 
now  despaired.  The  trustees  considered  the  question  of  closing 
the  University,  but  voted  down  the  proposition  and  appointed 
a  committee  to  formulate  a  plan  to  secure  funds  sufficient  to 
pay  the  debts  of  the  institution  and  to  endow  it.1  In  August, 

1  The  Standard  of  June  4,  1885. 


WORKING  AND  STUDYING  355 

Dr.  Galusha  Anderson  resigned  the  presidency,  which  was 
afterward  tendered  to  Dr.  George  C.  Lorimer,  the  pastor  of  the 
Immanuel  Baptist  Church,  who  declined  it,  although  he  finally 
agreed  to  act  ad  interim.  Later,  Dr.  William  R.  Harper  was 
elected  to  the  office,  but  he  decided  that,  everything  considered, 
it  would  be  a  mistake  for  him  to  accept  it.  A  conciliatory 
effort  to  get  the  best  terms  possible  to  save  the  property  dis- 
closed that  it  would  require  a  payment  of  $291,500,  with  a 
further  amount  of  $37,000  to  be  compromised,  and  accrued 
interest  on  that  sum.  Offers,  first  of  $150,000  and  then  of 
$200,000  were  made,  but  were  refused.  Subsequently  the 
demand  was  reduced  to  $275,000." 

Under  the  fifteen  months  of  grace  which  the  law  gave  it, 
the  University  continued  its  work  through  the  school  year  of 
1885-86.  "A  phenomenal  opening,"  was  the  way  that  of 
September  10,  1885,  was  characterized  on  account  of  the 
number  of  students  who  appeared  at  the  chapel  services  and 
the  amount  of  enthusiasm  which  they  displayed  despite  the 
adverse  circumstances.2  Near  the  end  of  the  term,  the  acting 
president  held  a  reception  in  the  University  parlors,  and  it  was 
declared  that  "a  finer  body  of  students  than  those  assembled  is 
seldom  seen  in  the  West.  Their  devotion  to  the  institution  is 
manifest."3  Even  as  late  as  August  12,  1886,  the  Standard 
said  that,  "by  far  the  most  encouraging  and  hopeful  meeting  of 

the  trustees  in  a  long  time  was  held  ....  last  week 

The  amount,  ten  thousand  dollars,  upon  which  the  occupancy 
of  the  property  for  another  year  is  conditioned,  is  now  so  nearly 
secured  that  the  resumption  of  work  at  the  University  as  usual, 
in  September,  may  be  looked  upon  as  settled."  Indeed, 
announcement  was  made  that  the  University  would  open  again 
at  the  regular  time  for  it.  A  few  days  before  the  time  of  open- 
ing, however,  it  was  ascertained,  according  to  the  Standard  of 

1  The  Standard,  Feb.  n,  and  May  13,  1886. 

3  Ibid.,  Sept.  17,  1885.  3  ibid.,  Dec.  3,  1885. 


356  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

September  16,  1886,  "that  what  were  supposed  to  be  reliable 
assurances  of  help  could  not  be  relied  upon;  the  effort  had 
failed.  The  executive  committee  recommended  to  the  board 
that,  in  view  of  this,  the  educational  work  at  the  University  be 
suspended,  and  this  recommendation,  after  some  discussion, 
was  adopted.  The  suspension  is  regarded  as  equivalent  to 

discontinuance At  the  time  this  decision  was  reached, 

we  were  already  within  two  days  of  the  announced  time  of 
reopening."  Thus  passed  out  of  active  existence  the  old,  or  first, 
University  of  Chicago,  a  worthy  institution,  which  rendered 
creditable  service  in  its  day,  but  which  could  not  survive  its 
financial  handicaps  and  the  jealousies  and  divisions  among 
those  upon  whom  it  depended  the  most  to  establish  and 
maintain  it. 

To  me  it  was  more  of  a  surprise  than  otherwise  that  the 
University  was  able  to  complete  the  year  of  1885-86.  The 
prospect  for  it  was  not  very  good,  according  to  all  of  the  infor- 
mation that  I  could  get  on  the  subject  during  the  fall  term. 
What  I  regarded  as  the  best  advice,  and  that  on  which  I  acted, 
was  to  go,  before  the  beginning  of  the  next  term,  to  another 
college  or  university.  The  University  of  Rochester,  at  Roches- 
ter, New  York,  was  especially  recommended  to  me,  and  after 
due  consideration  it  became  my  choice,  so  that  I  went  there  and 
in  January,  1886,  became  a  member,  in  the  second  term  of  the 
sophomore  year,  of  the  class  of  1888.  I  had  again  to  look  for 
outside  employment  by  which  I  could,  by  working  in  the  after- 
noons and  the  most  of  the  day  on  Saturdays,  earn  what  I  needed 
toward  my  expenses.  I  was  exceedingly  fortunate  in  being 
able  to  obtain  it  in  a  good  law  office  where  I  got  legal  training 
of  a  somewhat  different  nature  from  that  I  had  before. 

The  University  of  Rochester  was  founded,  in  1850,  as  the 
effect  of  a  movement  that  originated  in  a  belief  among  some  of 
the  Baptists  in  the  state  of  New  York  that  Madison  (now  Col- 
gate) University  ought  to  be  removed  from  Hamilton,  New 


THE  OLD  OR  FIRST  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO 


SIBLEY   HALL  ANDERSON   HALL 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ROCHESTER  IN  1886 


WORKING  AND  STUDYING  357 

York,  to  Rochester,  which,  fortunately,  resulted  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  University  of  Rochester  without  the  removal, 
so  that  there  are  now  two  good  educational  institutions  where 
otherwise  there  would  have  been  but  one. 

It  was  a  benefit  to  me  to  go  to  the  University  of  Rochester, 
if  for  no  other  reason,  on  account  of  the  change  of  environment 
which  it  afforded  me.  There  I  came  into  contact  under  new 
conditions  with  new  teachers  and  with  new  students,  although, 
as  in  Chicago,  some  of  the  students  were  young  and  some  were 
about  as  old  as  I  was.  It  gave  me  new  points  of  view  and  had 
a  broadening  effect.  It  also  furnished  me  new  stimuli,  though 
with  my  outside  work  I  was  at  some  disadvantage  where  most 
of  the  students  had  much  more  time  for  study  than  I  had. 
Then,  too,  there  was  a  great  change  in  my  boarding-places. 
When  I  arrived  at  Rochester,  the  president  of  the  University 
suggested  to  me  that,  although  I  could  not,  in  any  sense,  be 
called  a  German,  even  in  the  use  of  the  language,  I  should 
see  if  I  could  not  get  into  the  German  Students'  Home, 
which  was  maintained  for  the  German  Department  of  the 
Rochester  Theological  Seminary.  I  succeeded  in  doing  so,  secur- 
ing there  good,  plain  living  at  a  moderate  price  and  becoming 
acquainted  with  a  still  different,  yet  fine,  type  of  young  men, 
mostly  of  humble  extraction,  who  were  exceptionally  earnest 
and  diligent  in  their  efforts  to  prepare  themselves  for  spiritual 
leadership. 

The  University  of  Rochester  had  when  I  went  there  two 
buildings,  with  a  third  one  under  construction,  on  a  campus 
of  twenty-three  and  one-half  acres  of  land  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  northeast  of  the  business  center  of  the  city.  It  had  also  a 
small  astronomical  observatory  and  telescope.  The  main  build- 
ing was  Anderson  Hall,  which  was  completed  in  1861.  It  was 
built  of  brownstone,  very  plain  and  substantial,  150  by  60  feet 
in  size,  with  a  central  projection  of  15  feet  on  the  front  and 
the  rear,  the  height  of  the  building  being  three  stories  above 


358  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

a  basement.  In  it  were  the  recitation  rooms  and  the  chapel. 
There  were  no  dormitories.  The  second  building  was  Sibley 
Hall,  the  main  floor  of  which  was  used  for  library  purposes, 
while  on  the  floor  above  that  were  kept  the  very  good  geological 
and  mineralogical  cabinets.  The  building  being  constructed 
was  the  Reynolds  Memorial  Laboratory,  for  the  classes  in 
chemistry. 

The  faculty  of  the  University  was  a  strong  one,  of  ten 
professors,  some  of  whom  were  exceptionally  fine,  and,  besides 
doing  excellent  work,  made  marked,  helpful  impressions  on  the 
young  men  who  came  under  their  influence.  There  were  about 
150  students  enrolled,  two- thirds  of  which  number  took  the 
classical  course.  Young  women  were  not  admitted  as  students. 
Chapel  exercises  were  held  at  9:15  hi  the  morning.  From 
9:30  A.M.  until  12:30  P.M.  was  devoted  to  recitations,  each  class 
having  three,  of  one  hour  each.  On  Saturday  mornings  there 
was,  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  some  special  study,  instruc- 
tion, or  lecture,  for  each  class. 

The  solid  and  distinctive  character  of  the  University  of 
Rochester  was  in  a  large  measure  wrought  into  it  by,  and  was 
a  reflection  of  the  sturdy  character  of  its  first  president, 
Martin  B.  Anderson,  who  served  it  from  1853  until  1889.  In 
a  figurative  sense,  he  was  the  University,  and  the  University 
was  Martin  B.  Anderson.  The  one  was  hardly  to  be  thought  of 
without  including  the  other.  A  man  of  stalwart  build,  in  his 
later  years  he  walked  with  the  aid  of  two  heavy  canes,  and  his 
strong  face  and  white  locks  gave  him  somewhat  of  a  leonine 
appearance,  which  was  not  altogether  out  of  harmony  with  his 
character.  His  speech  was  authoritative  and  impressive. 

His  talks  in  the  chapel  were  especially  memorable.  He  had 
been  an  editor  of  an  important  denominational  paper,  and  he 
carried  with  him  into  the  chapel  something  of  the  editorial 
instinct  and  habit,  or  what  he  termed  the  "editorial  function 
of  the  teacher."  The  regular  services  in  the  chapel,  with  which 


WORKING  AND  STUDYING  359 

the  work  of  the  day  was  begun,  consisted  of  the  reading  of  a 
portion  of  Scripture,  singing,  and  prayer.  But  he  added  to 
those  services  frequent  and  peculiarly  striking  comments  on 
important  current  events  and  public  questions,  on  morals,  and 
on  fundamental  religious  truths  and  duties.  Two  of  the  things 
which  he  insistently  dwelt  upon,  and  often  reiterated  in  one 
form  or  another,  were  the  divine  call  to  everyone  for  self- 
sacrifice  for  the  welfare  of  others,  and  the  duty  to  "bring  things 
to  pass."  A  few  quotations  will  help  to  a  better  appreciation 
of  this,  his  character,  and  his  vigorous  form  of  expression. 
A  graduate  of  the  University,  who  revisited  it  in  April, 

1886,  wrote  that  on  "  Saturday  morning  it  was  delightful  to  be 
once  more  in   the   college  chapel,  and   to  hear  one  of  the 
president's  chapel  talks,  which  stimulated  all  the  intellectual 
faculties,    and   in    this   writer    aroused    pleasant    memories. 
Dr.  Anderson  on  this  occasion  made  a  recent  article  in  the  North 
American  Re-view  the  basis  of  an  improving  talk  on  the  influence 
of  Mr.  Lincoln  on  his  cabinet.     He  compared  and  contrasted 
him  with  Seward  and  Stanton,  and  claimed  that  succeeding  ages 
would  see  that  Lincoln  was  the  Washington  of  his  time.    The 
young  men  greatly  appreciate  these  chapel  talks;  and  in  after- 
years  they  will  appreciate  them  still  more  highly.     Dr.  Anderson 
will  never  know  how  remarks  of  this  kind  have  stimulated  and 
directed  the  thought  of  many  of  his  students  who  are  now 
scattered  all  over  this  broad  land."1 

For  the  subject  of  his  address  to  the  graduating  class  of 

1887,  Dr.  Anderson  took  "The  Law  of  Self-Sacrifice."    Among 
other  things  he  said:  "You  are  entering  a  world  governed  by 
a  living  God.    In  this  government  there  is  one  all-embracing 
law  which  imposes  its  obligations  on  all  moral  beings  alike. 
That  law  is  set  forth  in  the  doctrine  of  self-sacrifice  for  the  good 
of  others.    Like  gravitation  in  the  solar  system,  it  penetrates 
all  moral  beings  and  forces.    Among  men  it  is  the  basis  of  every 

'  "Stuart,"  in  "New  York  Letter"  in  the  Standard  of  April  29,  1886. 


360         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

social  organism,  the  taproot  of  all  virtue,  the  fundamental  ele- 
ment in  every  force  which  elevates  our  race.  With  this  law 
wrought  into  the  soul  and  determining  its  ends,  all  labor  becomes 
dignified,  every  achievement  becomes  heroic,  our  whole  lives  a 
consecrated  offering  to  God."1 

A  somewhat  different  example  or  application  of  Dr.  Ander- 
son's views  in  this  direction  was  supplied  when,  on  a  very 
different  occasion,  he  declared  that  it  is  the  duty,  in  the  sight 
of  God,  of  every  Christian  to  engage  diligently  in  the  production 
of  moral  or  economical  values.  "The  obligation  to  labor  is 
imposed  upon  us  by  the  capacity  for  it.  The  man  who  lives 
on  the  labor  of  the  public,  without  adding  anything  himself  to 
the  wealth  or  moral  well-being  of  the  community,  is  a  pauper. 
If  he  is  capable  of  work,  and  refuses,  he  adds  to  the  character  of 
the  pauper  that  of  the  thief.  The  possession  of  inherited  wealth 
does  not  release  him  from  the  obligation  to  work.  His  wealth 
can  make  his  exertions  enormously  productive.  His  failure  to 
work  is,  therefore,  more  criminal  even  than  if  he  were  poor; 
for  his  capacity  in  the  production  of  values,  both  moral  and 
economical,  may  equal  that  of  a  thousand  men.  Here  we  see  the 
unsoundness  of  the  advice  often  given  to  men  who  have  secured 
wealth,  to  retire  from  business  and  cease  from  labor.  It  is 
every  man's  duty  to  labor  as  long  as  he  has  capacity.  The 
merchant  may  justifiably  withdraw  from  the  most  dangerous 
risks  of  business,  but  he  many  not  escape  the  obligation  to 
work,  and  thereby  to  add  to  the  means  of  the  public  welfare. 
....  No  amount  of  learning  or  discipline  will  relieve  the 
scholar  or  the  moral  teacher  from  the  duties  which  his  acqui- 
sitions themselves  impose.  The  greater  his  capacity,  the  more 

imperative  is  the  duty  to  use  it With  the  Christian, 

wealth  is  mainly  to  be  valued  as  the  evidence  of  industry  and 

1  Papers  and  Addresses  of  Martin  B.  Anderson,  LL.D.,  edited  by 
William  C.  Morey  (Philadelphia;  American  Baptist  Publication  Society, 
1895),  I,  180. 


WORKING  AND  STUDYING  361 

self-denial  on  the  part  of  its  possessor,  and  as  the  means  of 
elevating,  purifying,  and  saving  men.  The  accumulation  of 
wealth  is  simply  the  accumulation  of  power,  which  is  valuable 
in  the  sight  of  God  only  so  far  as  it  is  turned  to  noble  uses."1 

To  illustrate  yet  further  the  manner  in  which  Dr.  Anderson 
from  time  to  time  impressively  set  forth  various  phases  of  the 
requirement  for  self-sacrifice,  a  sermon  may  be  taken,  which  he 
preached  in  the  chapel  of  the  University  on  the  day  of  prayer 
for  colleges,  as  it  was  afterward  summarized,  by  "J.  L.  R.," 
in  a  " Letter  from  Rochester"  that  was  published  in  the  Standard 
of  February  4,  1886.  It  was  stated  there  that  he  spoke  with 
wonderful  power  and  earnestness  from  the  text  "A  man's  foes 
shall  be  they  of  his  own  household,"2  and  declared  that  a  man's 
foes — his  moral  foes — might  be  among  his  dearest  friends, 
associates,  memories,  and  habits.  Temptations  are  dangerous 
in  proportion  as  they  are  personal  and  take  forms  that  one  is 
least  prepared  to  fight  against.  The  spirit  of  the  age  is  tempt- 
ing, not  by  persecution  to  apostasy,  but  through  some  of  its 
best  literature,  business,  science,  and  the  very  arts  of  life.  The 
difference  between  a  good  and  a  bad  man  is  not  that  the  one  is 
naturally  good  and  the  other  sinful.  It  is  that  the  one  strives 
against  his  sinful  disposition  within  and  the  bad  influences 
without,  being  anxious  and  laboring  to  do  God's  will,  while 
a  man  of  the  other  class  maintains  no  struggle,  has  no  special 
consciousness  of  temptation,  and  is  constantly  drifting  farther 
and  farther  from  God.  This  difference  is  not  marked  by  the 
separation  of  men  into  churches.  There  are  some  inside  that 
follow  the  drift,  and  some  outside  that  buffet  against  it.  In 
the  day  of  judgment,  the  one  great  question  will  be,  "Have  you 

1  M.  B.  Anderson,  The  Right  Use  of  Wealth;  an  address  delivered  before 
the  Evangelical  Alliance,  New  York,   1873   (New  York:    Published    by 
request,  1878),  pp.  3  ff;   republished  in  Papers  and  Addresses  of  Martin  B. 
Anderson,  I,  217  ff. 

2  Matt.  10:36. 


362  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

maintained  a  struggle  against  evil;  have  you  done  what  you 
could  to  bring  yourself  into  a  higher  plane  and  to  conform 
yourself  to  the  pattern  of  the  Lord  Jesus;  and  have  you  borne 
about  His  marks  in  your  body,  seeking  also  to  elevate  those 
around  you  ?" 

Another  form  of  Dr.  Anderson's  remarkable  influence  on 
many  of  his  students  was  in  the  private  conversations  which  he 
had  with  them.  He  would  frequently  call  a  man  into  his  office, 
talk  with  him  about  his  plans  and  prospects,  and  make  sug- 
gestions to  him  of  the  greatest  practical  value,  always  in  the 
direction  of  having  him  make  the  most  of  himself,  or  of  doing 
something  of  importance  which  he  either  had  not  thought  of 
himself,  or  had  not  before  felt  that  he  was  fitted  or  called  upon 
to  undertake. 

I  was  graduated  from  the  University  of  Rochester  in  the 
class  of  1888,  being  then  given  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts, 
and  in  1891  that  of  Master  of  Arts. 

After  my  graduation  I  returned  to  Chicago,  where  I  again 
found  employment  for  a  while  in  the  freight  claim  office  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  Company.  During 
that  period  I  attended  an  evening  class  of  the  Chicago  College 
of  Law,  from  which  I  was  graduated  on  September  21,  1889. 
On  October  7,  1889,  I  was  licensed  by  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Illinois  to  practice  law  in  the  courts  of  the  state.  Thereafter  I 
took  a  postgraduate  or  practice  course  in  the  law  school,  and  on 
June  i,  1891,  I  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws  from 
Lake  Forest  University,  of  which  the  Chicago  College  of  Law 
was  then  the  law  department. 


CHAPTER  IV 
THROUGH  THE  THREE  DECADES  FROM  1890 

The  three  decades  since  the  year  1890  have  been  exceedingly 
important  ones  in  the  development  of  the  United  States,  as  well 
as  in  the  history  of  the  world  and  of  civilization  in  general. 
Within  this  time,  distance  and  other  barriers  between  the 
nations  and  peoples  of  the  earth  have  been  to  a  great  extent 
annihilated.  The  whole  social  and  industrial  complexion  of 
the  world  has  been  largely  changed.  Federated  labor  has  entered 
into  the  contest  for  dictatorship  not  only  industrially,  but  more 
or  less  generally.  Young  men  have  been  given  the  preference 
once  accorded  to  older  ones  in  many  departments  of  business 
and  industry.  Women  have  become  formidable  competitors 
with  men  in  almost  all  vocations.  Established  forms  of  govern- 
ment have  been  menaced  in  new  ways.  The  American  doctrine 
of  the  supremacy  of  the  individual  and  of  individual  rights  has 
been  considerably  modified  or  superseded  by  that  of  the  pre- 
dominance of  the  state  and  of  the  public  welfare. 

In  the  United  States  the  population  increased  from 
62,622,250  in  1890  to  105,710,620  in  1920,  which  has  done  a 
great  deal  to  change  both  rural  and  urban  conditions.  Of 
further  great  importance  has  been  the  trend  of  much  of  the 
population  to  the  cities  and  the  rapid  growth  of  the  latter,  so 
that  now  over  one-half,  or,  to  be  more  exact,  about  51.9  per  cent 
of  the  total  population  of  the  United  States  is  in  incorporated 
places  of  2,500  or  more  inhabitants,  and  nearly  one- tenth  of  the 
whole  population  is  in  the  three  cities  of  New  York,  Chicago, 
and  Philadelphia,  while  only  38.8  per  cent  of  it  is  in  what  may 
be  called  purely  country  districts.  The  city  of  Chicago  alone 
grew  from  1,099,850  in  population  in  1890  to  2,701,705  in  1920. 

363 


364  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

This  growth  in  the  population  of  the  country  as  a  whole,  and  in 
that  of  the  cities  in  particular,  much  of  it  being  by  immigration 
from  many  different  foreign  countries  and  composed  of  different 
classes  of  people  from  each  of  those  countries,  has  had  its  effect 
on  the  customs,  home  life,  and  opinions  of  the  American  people 
taken  as  an  entirety. 

During  this  period  there  have  been  great  developments  and 
extensions  in  the  use  of  electricity  for  various  purposes.  As  a 
source  of  motive  power,  gasoline  must  also  be  mentioned  for  its 
distinct  importance  in  various  applications.  The  improvement 
of  the  telephone  and  the  wide  extension  of  its  use,  and  the  intro- 
duction and  almost  complete  development  of  the  automobile 
since  the  early  nineties,  have  given  a  new  outlook  to  life  in  the 
city  and  in  the  country,  as  well  as  to  business,  as  likewise  have 
the  development  of  the  mammoth  department  stores  and  great 
mail-order  houses,  with  the  establishment  of  the  parcel  post  and 
the  rural  free  delivery  of  mails.  The  aeroplane,  wireless  teleg- 
raphy, and  the  Roentgen  or  X-rays  also  belong  to  this  period. 

In  matters  of  religion  many  readjustments  have  been  made, 
the  appraisement  of  which  must  depend  largely  on  the  individual 
point  of  view.  Some  of  them  are  manifestly  of  no  vital  impor- 
tance, and  possibly  none  of  them  can  be  said  to  be  universal. 

In  higher  education  the  classics  have  not  been  abandoned, 
but  the  emphasis  has  been  increasingly  placed  on  what  is  deemed 
to  be  more  practical,  or  on  vocational  courses  to  make  specialists 
in  chemistry,  various  forms  of  engineering,  education,  commerce, 
journalism,  agriculture,  and  the  like,  whereas  before  1890  young 
men  went  to  college  mainly  to  lay  foundations  for  becoming 
ministers,  lawyers,  or  physicians.  Even  the  heads  of  the 
colleges  and  universities  are  being  chosen  more  and  more  for 
their  administrative  ability  rather  than  for  their  scholarship. 
Withal  there  has  been  a  great  growth  in  these  institutions 
themselves  since  1890.  For  example,  Brown  University  shows 
it.  The  University  of  Rochester  shows  it.  But  perhaps  the 


THROUGH  THE  THREE  DECADES  FROM  1890          365 

most  wonderful  of  all  is  the  founding  and  development  since 
that  date  of  the  present  University  of  Chicago.  This  all 
becomes  the  more  important  because  many  persons  now  believe 
that  the  hope  of  the  future  is  more  largely  than  ever  before 
dependent  on  soundly  educated  men  and  women,  and  through 
them  on  the  right  education  of  the  masses. 

It  is  appropriate,  too,  to  note  in  this  connection  the  adoption 
of  the  Eighteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  as  proclaimed  on  January  29,  1919,  becoming 
effective  on  January  16,  1920,  prohibiting  the  manufacture, 
sale,  or  transportation  of  intoxicating  liquors  for  beverage  pur- 
poses. No  less  significant  was  the  adoption  of  the  Nineteenth 
Amendment,  as  proclaimed  on  August  26,  1920,  that  "  the  right 
of  citizens  of  the  United  States  to  vote  shall  not  be  denied  or 
abridged  by  the  United  States  or  by  any  state  on  account  of 
sex,"  which  conferred  on  women  the  right  of  suffrage,  equal 
with  that  possessed  by  men. 

What  has  been  the  record  with  regard  to  wars?  During 
the  first  thirty  years  of  my  life  there  were,  to  mention  only  the 
more  important  wars:  The  Civil  War  in  the  United  States, 
from  April,  1861,  to  April,  1865 ;  the  Franco-Prussian  War,  from 
July,  1870,  to  May,  1871;  and  the  Russo-Turkish  War,  from 
April,  1877,  to  March,  1878.  In  the  three  decades  since  1890, 
there  have  been,  besides  some  smaller  conflicts,  the  Chino- 
Japanese  War,  from  August,  1894,  to  April,  1895;  the  South  Afri- 
can or  Boer  War,  from  October,  1899,  to  May,  1902;  the  Russo- 
Japanese  War,  from  February,  1904,  to  October,  1905;  the 
Spanish- American  War,  from  April  to  December,  1898;  and 
the  Great  War,  from  August,  1914,  to  November,  1918. 
This  last  war  was  especially  characterized  by  the  employment 
in  it  of  aeroplanes,  submarines,  poison  gases,  and  armored  and 
armed  tractors  called  "tanks." 

The  year  1890  was  an  epochal  one  for  me  because  in  it  I 
opened  up  my  own  law  office  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of 


366         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

law  in  Chicago.  That  office  was  in  the  Chicago  Opera  House 
Building,  which  stood  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Clark  and 
Washington  streets,  opposite  the  courthouse;  and  I  kept  my 
office  in  that  building  until  in  1914,  when  I  had  to  move  because 
the  building  was  to  be  torn  down.  The  building  was  an 
unusually  substantial  one,  termed  fireproof,  ten  stories  in 
height,  with  thick  brick  walls  erected  on  a  massive  foundation 
of  stone.  It  was  built  as  if  to  stand  for  generations;  but,  like 
many  a  costly  and  what  was  once  deemed  fine  business  block, 
residence,  or  church,  in  Chicago,  it  was  comparatively  soon 
outgrown,  out  of  place,  or  no  longer  profitably  adapted  to  the 
site  which  it  occupied,  and,  the  demand  arising,  it  was  removed 
in  order  that  a  different  structure  might  be  erected  in  its  stead. 
For  the  same  reason  the  stately  building  of  the  old  University 
of  Chicago  was  taken  down  so  that  residences  might  be  built 
on  its  site,  after  that  institution  was  closed. 

I  confined  my  legal  practice  mainly  to  office  work.  So  far 
as  I  specialized,  it  was  in  real  estate  law.  I  did  not  do  any 
criminal  law  business.  Neither  did  I  take  divorce  cases. 

Then,  perhaps  because  I  both  found  it  to  be  agreeable  and 
believed  it  to  be  a  useful  service,  I  came  to  giving  considerable 
attention  to  the  dissemination,  through  the  press,  of  practical 
legal  information,  particularly  relative  to  important  recent 
decisions  of  the  courts  of  last  resort. 

Once,  when  I  was  a  small  boy,  I  folded  a  piece  of  writing- 
paper  so  as  to  make  four  pages  of  about  4  by  $  inches  in  size, 
to  represent  in  miniature  a  newspaper,  and  on  that  I  carefully 
printed,  with  pen  and  ink,  a  variety  of  matter,  including  adver- 
tisements, suggestive  of  a  newspaper.  Then,  while  I  was 
attending  the  old  University  of  Chicago,  I  did,  when  it  was 
convenient,  occasional  reporting  for  the  Times  and  afterward 
for  the  Inter  Ocean.  In  those  days  the  newspapers  published, 
on  every  Monday  morning,  comprehensive  abstracts  of  what 
were  considered  the  most  interesting  and  important  sermons 


THROUGH  THE  THREE  DECADES  FROM  1890          367 

preached  in  the  city  on  the  day  before,  even  frequently  pub- 
lishing sermons  in  full;  and  I  reported  many  sermons. 

In  1890,  under  the  date  of  September  14,  I  started  the 
publication  of  the  Bulletin  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  and 
Sunday  School,  of  Chicago,  which  I  edited  and  published  weekly 
up  to  July  23,  1892.  It  varied  in  size  from  four  pages  of 
approximately  9  by  12  inches  to  eight  pages  of  10  by  13 J 
inches.  About  two  thousand  copies  of  each  number  were 
printed,  to  be  distributed  free  at  the  close  of  the  Sunday  school 
and  church  services.  The  expenses  were  paid  by  the  adver- 
tising which  I  secured  for  it.  The  First  Baptist  Church  was 
then  located  at  the  southeast  corner  of  South  Park  Avenue  and 
Thirty-first  Street,  and  was  in  its  prime,  with  Dr.  P.  S.  Henson 
as  its  pastor.  My  plan  was  to  have  in  each  number  of  the 
Bulletin  at  least  one  good,  appropriate  original  article  and  as 
many  shorter  helpful  suggestions  as  I  could,  with  as  nearly  as 
possible  all  of  the  news  and  notices  of  the  church,  the  Sunday 
school,  the  young  people's  activities,  and  the  women's  mission- 
ary and  benevolent  societies.  Dr.  Henson  wrote  an  interesting 
and  timely  special  article  and  items  for  most  of  the  issues,  and 
other  good  contributors  assisted.  When  the  paper  was  large 
enough,  it  contained  "Pulpit  Echoes,"  or  reports  of  the  sermons 
of  the  preceding  Sunday.1 

1  Dr.  Henson  said,  among  other  things,  in  the  issue  of  Saturday,  April 
n,  1891:  "That  the  Bulletin  fills  a  most  important  place,  and  is  doing 
admirable  service  in  connection  with  our  widely  extended  church  work  is 
universally  and  heartily  acknowledged.  As  a  medium  of  general  inter- 
communication among  our  church  people  it  has  come  to  be  invaluable,  and 
as  a  consequence  its  columns  are  eagerly  scanned  by  all  the  members  of  our 
numerous  family — not  only  by  those  who  are  with  us  every  Sunday,  but 
by  many  more  who  by  various  disabilities  are  detained  at  home,  and 
whose  loneliness  is  cheered  by  the  spicy,  breezy,  newsy,  wide-awake  para- 
graphs of  our  weekly  'organ.'  Nor  by  these  alone  are  its  visits  welcomed, 
but  away  it  flies  on  the  wings  of  the  fast  mail  to  ....  Tacoma,  .... 
Pasadena,  ....  Paris,  ....  London;  besides -to  ever  so  many  more  scat- 
tered up  and  down  the  earth  who  are  mightily  refreshed  by  'the  la  test  news 
from  home.'  Few  things  have  done  more  to  develop  our  esprit  de  corps  than 
this  same  weekly  Bulletin." 


368  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

This  will  help  to  explain  the  bent  in  my  nature  which  led 
to  the  course  that  I  adopted  with  reference  to  writing  up  and 
publishing  legal  matter.  I  got  the  earliest  obtainable  and 
reliable  printed  reports,  preferably  so  far  as  possible  in  advance 
sheets,  of  all  the  legal  decisions  in  the  United  States  that  were 
regularly  reported,  and  from  those  I  selected  the  cases,  or  more 
often  special  points,  which  I  considered  of  sufficient  practical 
importance  for  me  to  report  in  plain,  untechnical  language  for 
one  or  the  other  of  a  number  of  special  journals  and  trade 
papers,  and  sometimes  for  newspapers  and  certain  magazines. 
What,  however,  I  prepared  of  general  interest,  I  usually  dupli- 
cated by  the  mimeograph  process  and  sent  to  quite  a  large 
syndicate  of  publications.  Most  of  my  reports  were  used  to 
make  legal  departments,  under  various  captions.  Afterward 
some  of  the  reports  were  republished  in  book  form.1 

1  Three  volumes  were  thus  published  as  Street  Railway  Law  (Chicago: 
Windsor  &  Kenfield  Publishing  Co.,  1901  and  1903;  and  Kenfield  Publishing 
Co.,  1905).  The  title-page  description  was:  "A  comprehensive  working 
compendium  of  important  street  railway  decisions  in  all  parts  of  the 
country,  covering  practically  all  new  legal  questions,  including  promotion, 
charter,  construction,  equipment,  and  maintenance  problems,  general 
relations  to  the  public  and  to  other  roads,  rights  and  duties  as  to  passengers 
and  employees,  with  many  other  points  brought  out  in  the  large  number  of 
controversies  which  daily  arise  in  the  operation  of  street  railways;  for 
managers,  and  for  operating,  legal,  and  claim  departments.  Compiled 
for  the  Street  Railway  Review  by  J.  L.  Rosenberger,  A.M.,  LL.B.,  of  the 
Chicago  bar." 

Another  volume  was:  "  Law  for  Lumbermen:  A  digest  of  decisions  of 
courts  of  last  resort  on  matters  of  interest  to  lumbermen,  arranged  by 
subjects;  reprinted  from  the  columns  of  the  American  Lumberman,  with 
the  addition  of  marginal  references  and  a  copious  index.  Compiled  by 
J.  L.  Rosenberger,  of  the  Chicago  bar.  Chicago:  The  American  Lumber- 
man, 1902."  Professor  Roy  L.  Marston,  of  the  Yale  University  Forest 
School,  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  wrote,  on  October  21,  1902,  to  the 
American  Lumberman,  as  quoted  by  the  latter  in  its  next  issue:  "Accept 
my  sincere  appreciation  of  your  'Law  for  Lumbermen.'  I  think  it  is  the 
best  book  ever  printed  for  lumbermen.  I  have  ordered  the  men  in  my  courses 


THROUGH  THE  THREE  DECADES  FROM  1890          369 

As  a  somewhat  natural  outgrowth  of  this  part  of  my  work, 
and  in  addition  to  it,  between  September,  1894,  and  February, 
1900,  I  did  considerable  experimenting  in  the  publication  of 
what  was  designed  to  be  a  condensed,  yet  sufficiently  compre- 
hensive, plain,  practical  business  law  journal  for  business  men 
generally,  and  to  aid  young  men  in  preparing  for  business. 
I  tried  it  in  several  different  forms  and  sizes,  and  with  different 
names,  such  as  Business  Law,  Rosenberger's  Law  Monthly,  and 
Rosenberger' s  Pocket  Law  Journal.  On  general  principles,  and 
judging  from  the  interest  with  which  what  I  sent  to  other 
publications  appeared  to  be  read,  I  thought  that  there  ought 
to  be  a  place  for  such  a  journal,  in  which  I  was  to  an  extent 
confirmed  by  my  experiments.  It  seemed  to  me  best,  however, 
not  to  proceed  further  with  the  undertaking  for  a  while,  so  I 
let  it  rest  until  July,  1907.  Under  that  date  I  started  a  new 
magazine,  called  Business  Aid,  a  little  broader  in  character,  but 
still  mainly  legal.  This  I  edited  and  published  as  a  monthly 
through  six  volumes,  and  for  the  year  1914  as  a  quarterly.  The 
change  to  a  quarterly  was  not  a  disadvantageous  one,  but  it 
was  occasioned  principally  by  my  inability  at  that  time  to  give 
the  necessary  attention  to  monthly  publication,  under  circum- 


to  get  the  book  for  a  supplementary  textbook  in  the  lumbering  department. 
I  had  long  thought  that  the  columns  on  forest  law  in  the  Lumberman  should 
be  put  into  permanent  form." 

To  meet  what  the  publishers  declared  appeared  to  be  a  "strong 
demand  for  the  matter  in  book  form,"  a  small  volume  was  issued  of  "Real 
Estate  Decisions  of  the  Supreme  Courts  of  the  Various  States,  ....  digested 
especially  for  the  National  Real  Estate  Journal  by  J.  L.  Rosenberger, 
LL.B.,  of  the  Chicago  bar.  [St.  Paul  and  Chicago:]  R.  L.  Polk  &  Co., 
1912." 

What  was  described  as  "A  handbook  of  practical  information  on  bank 
cashiers,  presidents,  directors,  etc.,  extracted  from  decisions  of  the  courts, 
especially  those  of  recent  years  down  to  date,"  had  the  cover-title,  Bank 
Officers:  Rights,  Powers,  Duties,  Liabilities  (Chicago:  J.  L.  Rosenberger, 
1914). 


370          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

stances  which  led  me  to  give  up  the  publication  entirely  at  the 
end  of  the  year  IQI4.1 

With  one  exception,  I  never  seemed  to  find  time  or  to  care 
for  a  hobby,  unless  what  I  did  in  editing  and  publishing  might 
to  some  degree  be  called  one.  The  exception  referred  to 
occurred  during  the  interval  when  I  was  not  doing  any  pub- 
lishing. I  then  got  interested  in  amateur  photography.  After 
I  had  become  well  started  in  it,  I  joined  the  Chicago  Society  of 
Amateur  Photographers,  which  had  its  rooms,  with  certain 
valued  privileges,  in  the  Art  Institute.  I  was  soon  made  the 
librarian  of  the  society  and  succeeded  in  building  up  quite  a 
good  reference  library  for  it.  After  that  society  was  dissolved  I 
helped  to  organize  the  Chicago  Camera  Club,  which  was  incorpo- 

1  Business  Aid  was  intended,  as  was  stated  on  the  cover  of  the  first 
number,  to  furnish  "aid  for  improving  business  methods;  safeguarding 
business  relations;  buying  and  selling;  handling  accounts  and  bookkeep- 
ing; dealing  with  commercial  paper  and  securities;  manufacturing,  patents, 
and  trade-marks;  having  to  do  with  land,  landlord  and  tenant;  insurance, 
etc. — every  item  a  help."  Another,  later  statement  of  contents  was:  "Busi- 
ness world  review;  special  articles;  practical  points  for  store  and  office; 
debtor  and  creditor;  things  to  know  pertaining  to  real  estate;  interstate 
commerce  commission  decisions;  important  points  made  by  business 
leaders;  what  different  editors  are  saying,"  etc.  There  were  some  short 
talks  to  those  starting  in  business,  and  a  department  was  introduced 
of  suggestions  on  advertising,  for  those  who  write  it  and  for  those 
who  pay  for  it.  Short  editorials  also  became  a  feature,  and  increasing 
attention  was  given  to  the  current  law  and  subjects  of  special  interest 
to  bankers  and  to  credit  men.  As  a  quarterly,  it  was  described  as  "A 
quarterly  review  of  banking,  commercial  paper,  credit,  collection,  real 
estate,  and  other  important  decisions,  boiled  down,  arranged,  and  indexed 
for  quick  reference."  The  pages  were  6|  by  9!  inches  in  size.  One  promi- 
nent business  man  referred  to  Business  Aid  as  his  "best  investment." 
A  company  located  in  the  state  of  Washington  wrote:  "We  have  gotten 
the  benefit  of  the  subscription  price  a  thousandfold  since  we  have  been 
subscribers."  A  banker  in  Kansas  said  that  Business  Aid  had  saved  him 
over  a  thousand  dollars,  while  a  banker  in  Illinois  declared  it  had  saved 
him  over  two  thousand  dollars  in  one  year. 


THROUGH  THE  THREE  DECADES  FROM  1890          371 

rated  in  February,  1904,  under  the  state  law.  I  was  named 
as  one  of  the  directors,  and  was  made  vice-president.  The 
next  year  I  was  elected  president.  My  greatest  pleasure  as  an 
amateur  photographer  was  in  seeking  out  and  taking  landscape 
views,  carefully  focusing  them  on  the  ground  glass.  Seconda- 
rily to  that,  I  enjoyed  doing  my  own  developing,  printing,  and 
enlarging. 

Various  circumstances  and  considerations  kept  me  from 
entering  early  into  matrimony.  But,  on  July  2,  1912,  I  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Susan  Esther  Colver.1 

Miss  Colver  had  been  for  perhaps  a  year  or  so  feeling  the 
nervous  strain  of  her  work  as  the  principal  of  a  large  city  school. 
At  the  close  of  the  fall  term  of  1911  she  practically  collapsed, 
but  recovered  wonderfully  during  the  Christmas  holidays.  On 
being  urged  to  give  up  her  school  work  for  the  sake  of  her 
health,  she  said  that  she  wanted  to  finish  that  school  year  any- 
way, if  she  could  not  do  more,  and  the  physician  whom  she 
consulted  advised  her,  perhaps  mistakenly,  that  it  was  best  for 
her  to  go  on.  For  these  reasons,  she  exercised  her  will-power 
and  went  through  to  June  26,  the  end  of  the  year.  She  was 
then  completely  exhausted,  physically  and  nervously.  Never- 
theless, knowing  how  well  she  had  always  been,  and  how  rapidly 
she  had  improved  with  her  short  rest  in  the  winter  vacation,  we 
felt  extremely  hopeful  that  with  a  longer  rest,  and  freedom  from 
the  care  of  the  school,  she  would  soon  regain  her  health  and 
strength,  and  that  it  would  be  a  case  for  the  application  of 
Browning's  lines: 

"  Grow  old  along  with  me ! 
The  best  is  yet  to  be, 
The  last  of  life,  for  which  the  first  was  made." 

JThe  ceremony  was  performed  at  Yorkville,  in  Kendall  County, 
Illinois,  by  Judge  Clarence  S.  Williams.  We  went  there  in  order  to  avoid 
all  possible  formality  and  injurious  nervous  strain  for  Miss  Colver,  on 
account  of  the  condition  of  her  health. 


372  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

We  had  been  friends  for  over  thirty  years.  I  had  heard  of 
her  grandfather,  Dr.  Nathaniel  Colver,  in  1869  or  1870.  Some 
years  later  I  heard  several  times  of  her  father,  "  Elder"  Charles K. 
Colver,  and  even  heard  him  lecture  once  or  twice  on  tem- 
perance. I  also  heard  that  he  had  a  daughter  of  exceptional 
mental  ability  and  health.  Then,  in  the  spring  of  1879,  when 
I  was  trying  to  decide  what  course  I  would  best  pursue  to  enter 
the  legal  profession,  my  father,  who  was  somewhat  acquainted 
with  Mr.  Colver  and  his  family,  suggested  that,  as  business 
was  taking  us  near  enough  to  River  Falls,  where  Mr.  Colver 
then  lived,  we  would  better  call  on  him  to  get  his  advice.  We 
did  so.  I  no  longer  remember  what  he  advised  me  to  do;  but 
I  do  remember  that  for  our  entertainment  Miss  Colver  played 
on  the  piano  several  selections,  one  of  which  was  a  musical 
version  of  Tarn  o'  Shanter's  ride,  and  that  as  she  played  that 
piece  Mr.  Colver  sat  at  the  end  of  the  piano  and  kept  time  by 
patting  his  hands  on  his  knees,  while  he  described  interestingly 
what  was  supposed  to  be  happening  as  the  music  progressed. 
Then,  when  late  in  1881  I  went  to  Chicago  to  attend  the  old 
University  of  Chicago,  one  of  the  first  things  that  I  did  was  to 
go  to  confer  again  with  Mr.  Colver,  who  generously  insisted 
that  I  should  stay  at  their  house  until  I  had  everything  ready 
to  begin  work  at  the  University;  and  he  afterward  kindly  gave 
me  his  cordial  "welcome  home"  on  various  occasions  when  I 
called.  I  also  frequently  met  Miss  Colver  at  church. 

After  our  marriage  we  kept  house,  until  the  next  spring, 
in  an  apartment  near  the  southwest  corner  of  Washington  Park, 
when  we  moved  into  a  very  nice,  quiet  apartment  of  four  rooms 
and  bath  on  Lake  View  Avenue,  just  off  Lincoln  Park,  about 
four  or  five  blocks  northwest  of  the  conservatory  and  the 
zoological  garden.  As  soon  as  we  could  do  it  in  the  summer 
of  1912  we  took  some  trips  on  the  lake,  on  the  boat  that  left 
the  latest  in  the  morning  and  returned  the  earliest  in  the  even- 
ing; but  the  trips  seemed  to  have  on  Mrs.  Rosenberger  little  of 


THROUGH  THE  THREE  DECADES  FROM  1890  .       373 

their  former  tonic  effect.  Rest  helped  her  somewhat  physically, 
but  not  much  nervously.  We  then  changed  physicians,  getting 
a  neurologist  of  high  standing  in  his  profession,  which  was 
followed  by  a  certain  amount  of  improvement,  due  partly  to  a 
lessened  amount  of  drugging. 

A  peculiarity  of  Mrs.  Rosenberger's  case  that  was  very  clear 
to  me  and  that  caused  me  a  great  deal  of  worry,  but  which  few 
others  could  fully  understand,  was  that,  whatever  her  apparent 
condition — and  sometimes  it  was  better  than  at  other  times — 
to  have  a  visitor  come,  whether  friend  or  relative,  was  likely  to 
be  followed  by  ill  effects,  oftentimes  for  days  afterward.  It 
was  probably  because  Mrs.  Rosenberger  had  always  been 
vivacious,  and  wanted  still  to  be  just  as  hospitable  and  enter- 
taining as  ever,  or  to  appear  as  well  as  possible,  which  was  very 
exhausting  for  her  and  likely  to  be  followed  by  a  reaction  at  the 
least  requiring  a  sedative  to  soothe  her  nerves.  To  meet  and 
to  talk  a  little  generally  with  strangers  did  not  have  the  same 
effect.  But  for  her  even  to  be  looking  for  a  possible  caller,  or 
for  a  letter  and  then  to  be  thinking  about  getting  it  answered, 
although  I  did  the  writing  for  her,  was  always  wearing  on  her. 
Besides,  everyone  wanted  to  know  each  time  how  she  was  doing, 
to  which  the  less  her  attention  was  called  the  better;  while  some 
added  depressing  accounts  of  their  own  ills.  For  these  reasons, 
and  because  she  seemed  to  get  along  best  without  visitors  and 
without  letters,  and  really  preferred  to  do  it,  after  never  having 
had  much  time  for  social  life,  we  lived  as  much  by  ourselves 
as  possible,  reduced  our  correspondence  to  a  minimum,  and 
had  no  telephone. 

Nor  did  we  want  any  housekeeper.  We  had  a  woman  who 
came  in  once  a  week  to  clean  up  the  apartment;  and  sent  out  the 
laundry.  Beyond  that  we  needed  no  help,  but  we  got  on  nicely 
with  what  Mrs.  Rosenberger  and  I  together  could  do,  and  she 
pleaded  to  be  permitted  to  do  whatever  she  could  of  what  there 
was  to  be  done.  That  mode  of  life  was  made  the  easier  for 


374  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

us,  too,  because  the  physician  put  her  on  an  exceedingly  plain, 
wholesome  diet,  which  was  quite  easily  prepared,  and  was  one 
that  suited  me  also.  During  this  period,  I  kept  my  office  open, 
but  I  made  only  short  visits  to  it,  doing  most  of  my  work  at 
home.  Then,  almost  every  day  that  the  weather  permitted  it, 
we  took  a  walk  in  the  park.  After  we  moved  to  the  vicinity  of 
Lincoln  Park,  Mrs.  Rosenberger  gradually  became  able,  by 
taking  rests  on  the  way,  to  go  to  the  conservatory,  and  then  to 
see  all  of  the  animals,  which  fortunately  were  all  grouped  close 
together,  and  not  scattered  over  many  acres  as  in  some  parks 
in  other  cities.  Another  pleasant  walk  for  us  was  across  the 
park  to  the  lake  front. 

Not  wanting  to  leave  anything  undone  that  had  a  ray  of 
hope  in  it  for  us,  after  about  two  years  of  treatment  by  the 
specialist  we  had  employed,  we  arranged  for  a  change  of  physi- 
cians, to  another  neurologist  of  wide  reputation  and  commen- 
surate ability;  but  about  the  only  difference  that  it  made  was 
that  he  relied  possibly  still  a  little  less  on  medicine  in  this  case 
than  did  the  other  physician.  The  one  treated  us  a  good  deal 
as  if  he  were  a  brother;  the  other,  as  a  father. 

At  the  end  of  1914  I  gave  up  entirely  my  publishing  busi- 
ness; and  in  the  spring  of  1915  I  closed  my  office.  But  I 
continued  writing  at  home  for  several  publications  in  such 
time  as  I  had  for  it;  and  some  of  the  most  important  of  that 
work  I  have  kept  on  doing  up  to  the  present  time,  wherever  I 
might  be.  The  great  reason  why  I  continued  that  work  as  I 
did  was  that  Mrs.  Rosenberger  needed  to  rest  a  portion  of  the 
day,  and  I  knew  from  observation  that  she  would  do  it  better 
when  I  was  occupied  with  regular  work,  required  to  be  done; 
while  for  me  it  was  a  beneficial  as  well  as  a  somewhat  paying 
diversion. 

In  the  fall  of  1915  we  decided  to  try  a  change  of  climate  and 
scenes,  and  set  out  for  California.  Mrs.  Rosenberger  not  only 
stood  the  journey  remarkably  well,  but  enjoyed  it.  One  thing 


THROUGH  THE  THREE  DECADES  FROM  1890          375 

that  particularly  helped  her  from  that  time  on,  but  did  not  cure 
her,  was  a  change  to  a  quite  newly  discovered  medicine  that  she 
had  just  begun  taking  shortly  before  we  left  Chicago.  We  went 
first  to  San  Francisco,  where  the  Panama-Pacific  International 
Exposition  was  being  held  to  celebrate  the  opening  of  the 
Panama  Canal  and  the  four-hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
discovery  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  We  secured  hotel  accommo- 
dations at  the  Inside  Inn,  on  the  exposition  grounds,  and  went 
pretty  thoroughly  through  the  exposition,  some  portions  of  it 
several  times  over.  It  seemed  to  do  Mrs.  Rosenberger  good. 
She  was  interested  in  almost  everything,  including  the  grounds, 
the  adjacent  bay  and  warships,  the  buildings,  the  "Tower  of 
Jewels,"  the  exhibits,  the  organ  recitals,  and  the  band  concerts. 
After  we  had  finished  with  the  exposition,  we  visited  all  of  the 
places  of  interest  that  we  cared  to  in  and  around  San  Francisco, 
including  the  University  of  California. 

Then  we  took  short  daylight  journeys  to  the  southward, 
stopping  here  and  there  until  we  reached  Los  Angeles,  where 
we  remained  until  we  had  seen  all  that  we  wanted  to  there, 
when  we  went  on  to  San  Diego,  where  the  Panama-California 
Exposition  gave  us  new  enjoyments,  in  addition  to  such  regular 
ones  of  the  city  as  the  latter  afforded  us.  That  exposition  was 
much  smaller  than  the  other,  yet  we  found  it  in  its  way  hardly 
less  attractive,  and  spent  considerable  time  in  it.  At  San  Fran- 
cisco we  had  found  pleasure  in  feeding  and  watching  the  sea 
gulls,  while  at  San  Diego  the  feeding  of  the  pigeons  on  the 
Plaza  de  Panama  was  equally  entertaining.  Again,  San  Diego 
had  an  "outdoor  organ,"  or  one  for  out-of-door  concerts  and 
recitals,  the  instrument  alone  being  protected  by  a  small 
pavilion,  and  Mrs.  Rosenberger  enjoyed  very  much  hearing 
that  organ  in  the  open  air. 

Thus  we  got  about  as  much  pleasure  out  of  our  visit  to 
California  as  it  was  possible  for  us  to  get,  under  the  circum- 
stances, in  that  length  of  time.  Still,  we  were  not  altogether 


376         THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

sorry  when  the  end  of  December  drew  near  and  the  limitation 
of  our  railroad  tickets  for  returning  to  Chicago  required  us  to 
leave.  The  weather  had  on  the  whole  been  exceptionally  fine ; 
yet  we  at  times  found  a  certain  dampness  and  chilliness  in  it 
which  were  not  pleasant,  but  were  partly  offset  by  the  fact 
that  our  rooms  at  the  hotels  where  we  stopped  were,  with 
two  or  three  exceptions,  comfortably  warmed.  Nevertheless 
Mrs.  Rosenberger  contracted,  in  the  muscles  of  her  arms,  a 
painful  rheumatism,  something  she  had  never  had  before,  which 
seemed  to  await  the  steam-heated  apartment  in  Chicago  to 
eradicate  it.  Even  when  we  got  to  where  we  saw  snow  on 
the  ground  it  looked  rather  good  to  us,  by  contrast  with  the  dry, 
dusty  land  which  we  had  been  seeing. 

A  little  over  a  year  later,  or  early  in  the  spring  of  1917,  we 
again  felt  impelled  to  try  a  change  of  climate  and  environment, 
this  time  in  the  East.  We  had  previously  settled  our  affairs 
and  disposed  of  about  everything  except  our  household  goods, 
in  order  that  Mrs.  Rosenberger  might  not  only  see  it  done 
and  join  in  doing  it,  but,  if  anything  happened  to  me,  might 
not  have  any  business  cares  to  worry  her.  Now  we  gave  away 
our  household  goods,  most  of  them  to  Baptist  institutions  in 
which  Mrs.  Rosenberger  was  especially  interested. 

We  were  not  automobilists.  We  preferred  as  a  rule,  when 
we  could  do  it,  to  ride  in  trains  or  on  street  cars.  At  the  same 
time  we  aimed  to  make  only  short  daylight  journeys,  stopping 
here  and  there  as  long  as  we  might  find  it  interesting  to  do 
so.  We  tried,  however,  to  reach  places  where  we  could  secure 
comfortable  hotel  accommodations,  with  a  good  cafeteria  or 
restaurant  near  by  where  we  could  make  selections  of  food 
according  to  our  dietary  restrictions.  Nor  did  we  many  times 
fail  in  this. 

So  far  as  climate  was  concerned,  we  were  much  disap- 
pointed. It  was  a  rather  cold  spring,  and  at  times  we  heard 
of  better  weather  in  Chicago  than  we  were  having  in  the  East. 


THROUGH  THE  THREE  DECADES  FROM  1890  377 

Furthermore,  some  of  the  hotels  that  we  got  into  were  not 
properly  heated,  and  then  we  went  elsewhere.  For  example, 
one  day  was  enough  for  us  at  Atlantic  City,  where  we  got 
choice  rooms  overlooking  the  ocean  but  they  proved  to  be 
uncomfortably  cold,  the  season  for  heating  them  having  passed, 
while  the  air  outdoors  was  chilly  even  in  the  sun.  In  Washing- 
ton, Philadelphia,  and  New  York  we  got  along  very  much  better. 
In  those  cities  we  found  the  zoological  gardens  the  greatest 
attractions,  and  spent  considerable  time  in  them,  for  each  one  had 
not  only  fine  specimens  of  all  of  the  animals  usually  kept  in  such 
gardens,  but  it  had  also  some  animals  of  kinds  that  we  had 
never  seen  before.  The  museums  in  Washington  were  full  of 
interest,  too,  for  us,  in  addition  to  which  we  enjoyed  visiting 
the  Corcoran  Gallery  of  Art,  the  Capitol,  and  Washington 
Monument,  and  had  a  delightful  trip  by  boat  to  Mount  Vernon. 
In  New  York,  besides  the  two  zoological  gardens,  the  aquarium, 
and  some  other  places,  we  visited  several  tunes  the  Metro- 
politan Museum  of  Art,  and  the  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History.  In  the  latter  museum  Mrs.  Rosenberger  was  espe- 
cially interested,  and  apparently  most  of  all  in  seeing  there  one 
of  the  five  dog-sledges  that  on  April  6,  1909,  reached  the  North 
Pole  in  the  Peary  Expedition,  and,  near  it,  one  of  the  three 
sledges  used  by  Amundsen's  Party  that  reached  the  South 
Pole  on  December  14,  1911.  But  she  was  hardly  less  inter- 
ested in  seeing  innumerable  other  exhibits  of  various  classes. 
"Billy"  Sunday  was  still  holding  his  revival  meetings  in  New 
York,  and  she  greatly  wanted  to  hear  him,  in  the  afternoon. 
I  was  afraid  that  the  excitement  would  be  too  much  for  her, 
yet  we  went,  not  only  once  but  two  or  three  times,  and  to  my 
surprise  she  was  not  in  the  least  excited  by  it. 

For  the  summer  we  returned  to  Chicago,  where  we  got 
rooms  in  a  hotel  that  faced  on  Lincoln  Park. 

That  fall  of  1917  we  went,  by  way  of  St.  Louis  and  New 
Orleans,  to  Florida,  taking  our  time  and  stopping  at  one  place 


378  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

and  another  until  we  reached  Miami.  There  a  national  water- 
ways convention  was  being  held,  and  the  central  part  of  the 
city  was  decked  out  gaily  with  flags,  while  the  streets  were 
festooned  with  rows  of  varicolored  incandescent  lamps,  all 
furnished  for  the  occasion  by  a  contractor  from  Chicago,  who 
made  such  decorating  his  business.  One  of  the  speakers  at 
the  convention  whom  we  went  to  hear  was  Mr.  Peary,  who 
spoke,  not  on  his  polar  explorations,  declaring  that  they  were 
"ancient  history,"  but  regarding  aeronautics,  concerning  which 
he  appeared  to  be  exceedingly  enthusiastic.  We  had  both 
heard  him  before,  in  Chicago,  tell  of  his  plans  for  reaching  the 
North  Pole  and  afterward  of  his  success;  and  Mrs.  Rosenberger 
was  particularly  pleased  to  see  and  hear  him  again,  and  to  get  a 
glimpse  also  of  Mrs.  Peary. 

We  remained  in  Miami  until  the  latter  part  of  April,  1918. 
Our  ordinary  daily  routine  began  with  going  to  a  cafeteria  for 
breakfast  and  returning  to  our  rooms,  where  I  worked  during 
the  forenoon  while  Mrs.  Rosenberger  rested  or  looked  over 
Chicago  and  Miami  papers,  or  some  magazine.  Then  came 
another  visit  to  the  cafeteria.  The  afternoon  was  generally 
spent  at  the  Royal  Palm  Park,  where  for  about  three  months  a 
band,  employed  by  the  business  men  of  the  city,  gave  open- 
air  concerts,  and,  not  far  away,  men  pitched  horseshoes. 
Toward  evening,  we  might  go  to  the  adjacent  pier  and  boat 
landings  to  see  what  catches  the  fishermen  had  to  show.  On 
several  occasions  we  took  quite  extended  walks  about  the  city; 
and  a  number  of  times  we  took  the  trip  across  the  bay  to  the 
ocean  beach.  On  a  few  Sunday  mornings  we  had  the  pleasure 
of  hearing  William  Jennings  Bryan  address,  from  the  band 
stand  in  the  park,  an  outdoor  tourist  Bible  class. 

Did  we  at  last  find,  in  Miami,  the  ideal  climate  for  which 
we  had  been  looking?  No.  Two  or  three  times  that  winter 
the  freezing-point  was  reached,  and  men  might  be  seen  wearing 
ulsters  and  heavy  clothes,  instead  of  Palm  Beach  suits.  We 


THROUGH  THE  THREE  DECADES  FROM  1890          379 

moved  once  to  get  rooms  having  a  fireplace,  and,  in  addition, 
bought  our  own  oil  heater  and  a  number  of  gallons  of  oil,  so 
that  we  might  keep  comfortable.  Of  course  it  is  not  that  way 
there  every  winter;  but  in  Florida,  as  probably  everywhere 
else,  when  there  is  a  strong  wind  from  the  north  in  the  winter 
it  pierces  and  is  most  unpleasant,  and  doubly  so  when  the 
humidity  is  high.  As  was  stated  in  an  editorial  in  the  Florida 
Times-Union,  of  Jacksonville,  of  November  22,  1917:  "A 
great  many  people  think  the  South  is  a  land  of  balmy  breezes 
in  winter.  This  is  not  true  of  any  part  of  the  South  unless  it 
is  the  extreme  southern  part  of  Florida.  Nearly  all  the  South 
is  a  region  of  bleak  winds  in  winter."  It  was  said  further,  in 
describing  the  provision  that  should  be  made  for  men  at  a 
training  camp  in  Georgia,  that  "  the  proper  clothing  for  middle 
Georgia  in  winter  is  the  same  as  the  proper  clothing  for  New 

York  City The  coldest  weather  ever  known  in  Atlanta 

was  two  degrees  colder  than  the  coldest  ever  known  in  New 
York  City."  But  in  Miami  there  were  some  days  and  nights, 
in  February,  1918,  when  the  weather  was  uncomfortably  warm. 
When  we  left  Miami,  we  resumed  our  plan  of  short  journeys. 
We  left  Miami  with  the  sun  shining,  and  before  we  reached 
West  Palm  Beach,  our  first  stopping-place,  we  encountered  a 
downpour  of  rain  in  such  volume  as  one  seldom  sees  in  the 
north,  but  which  is  not  an  uncommon  characteristic  of  Florida 
rains.  In  St.  Augustine  we  were  particularly  interested  in 
looking  up  the  "oldest  houses"  and  other  historic  features. 
Richmond,  Virginia,  had  a  special  appeal  to  us  because  it  was 
there  that  Mrs.  Rosenberger's  grandfather,  Dr.  Nathaniel 
Colver,  founded  a  school  and  worked  for  the  education  of  the 
freedmen.  There  we  spent  about  a  week,  and  went  more  than 
once  to  see  the  Virginia  Union  University,  the  outgrowth  in  a 
way  of  what  was  for  a  while  called  the  Colver  Institute.  Then 
we  went  on  once  more  to  Washington,  where  we  remained  about 
a  month,  visiting  over  and  over  again  the  National  Zoological 


380  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Park  and  some  of  the  other  places  that  we  liked  the  best.  Mrs. 
Rosenberger  also  took  special  interest  this  time  in  visiting  the 
two  houses  of  Congress  and  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States  while  they  were  in  session.  But  in  Washington,  as  in 
almost  every  place  where  we  went,  the  first  thing  to  be  noticed 
was  the  evidence  on  every  hand  of  the  participation  of  the 
United  States  in  the  Great  War.  Proceeding  northward,  we  in 
due  time  came  to  Providence,  where  the  great  attraction  for 
us  was  Brown  University  because  Mrs.  Rosenberger's  father, 
Rev.  Charles  Kendrick  Colver,  was  graduated  from  it.  She 
took  a  great  interest  in  it  on  that  account  and  because  of  the 
high  regard  with  which  her  father  had  been  wont  to  speak  of  it. 
Thence  we  went  to  Boston  and  north  to  Portland,  Maine, 
turning  from  there  toward  Chicago,  which  we  reached  but 
shortly  before  the  influenza  broke  out  with  its  exceptional 
violence  in  Boston. 

When  we  left  Florida  Mrs.  Rosenberger  was  again  suffering 
from  rheumatism  in  her  arms  similar  to  that  which  developed 
in  California.  For  that  reason  we  planned  to  try  the  drier 
climate  of  Arizona  and  the  Southwest  for  the  coming  winter. 
We  delayed  starting  from  Chicago  on  account  of  the  alarming 
reports  that  we  read  daily  of  the  rapid  spread  of  the  influenza. 
This  led  to  another  visit  to  the  doctor.  Mrs.  Rosenberger  was 
then  having  trouble  with  her  left  eye,  and  a  sort  of  occasional 
neuralgia  in  the  left  side  of  her  face,  which  had  not  before  been 
regarded  as  of  any  special  s;gnificance,  but  which  now  brought 
the  suggestion  that  she  should  have  an  oculist  chart  her  field 
of  vision,  and  have  a  Roentgenologist  make  Roentgenograms 
or  X-ray  pictures  of  her  head.  The  results  gave  clear  indica- 
tions of  the  existence  of  a  brain  tumor,  although  its  precise 
character  could  be  determined  only  by  an  operation,  which, 
furthermore,  offered  the  only  possible  hope  for  either  the 
restoration  of  her  health  or  a  much  longer  prolongation  of  her 
life  without  great  suffering — perhaps  paralysis  and  blindness. 


THE  COLVER  LOT  IN  OAK  WOODS  CEMETERY,  CHICAGO 


THE  TEMPLE  BUILDING,  THE  FIRST  CHURCH  BUILDING  IN  CHICAGO 


THROUGH  THE  THREE  DECADES  FROM  1890          381 

This  view  was  practically  confirmed  by  the  other  neurologist 
when  he  saw  the  chart  and  the  Roentgenograms,  and  by  other 
physicians  with  whom  I  consulted  as  friends,  all  of  whom 
were  emphatic  in  declaring  that  Mrs.  Rosenberger  ought  to 
have  the  benefit  of  the  one  chance,  against  many,  of  a  suc- 
cessful operation.  One  of  the  best  surgeons  in  Chicago,  and 
probably  as  good  a  one  as  there  was  then  available  anywhere 
for  such  an  operation,  according  to  the  best  advice  that  I  could 
get,  was  chosen  to  perform  it.  The  prevalence  of  the  influenza 
and  the  danger  of  complications  from  it  caused  the  post- 
ponement of  the  operation  for  a  month  or  more.  Then,  on 
Tuesday  morning,  November  19,  1918,  it  was  performed  at 
St.  Luke's  Hospital,  in  Chicago.  The  result  was  fatal.1  Mrs. 
Rosenberger  passed  quietly  into  her  long  and  sometimes  longed- 
for  rest,  without  coming  out  from  under  the  effects  of  the 
anesthetic.2 

1  The  tumor,  which  was  removed,  was  described  as  a  slow-growing  or 
benign,  fibroid,  pituitary  one,  of  very  large  size,  which  was  probably  the 
cause  of  all  of  Mrs.  Rosenberger's  ill  health,  but  which  had  not  been  more 
manifest  because  of  its  having  been  mainly  in  what  was  termed  a  "silent 
area"  of  the  brain,  beyond  which  it  had  at  last  begun  to  extend. 

2  Her  grave  is  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  Colver  lot,  in  Oak  Woods 
Cemetery,  in  Chicago.    The  lot  faces  toward  the  east  on  the  west  side 
of  a  roadway  beyond  which  there  is  a  little  lake.    The  inscriptions  on  the 
marble  monument  are  becoming  somewhat  weatherworn  and  portions  of 
them  illegible.    They  are  as  follows:  On  the  east  side,  or  front,  above  the 
word  "COLVER,"  "Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver.     Died  at  Chicago  Sept.  25, 
1870,  Aged  76  Yrs.  4  Mos.  16  Dys.     'Whosoever  will  be  great  among  you, 
let  him  be  your  minister'";    on  the  south  side,  "Sarah  T.  wife  of  Rev. 
N.  Colver.     Died  at  Chicago  April  19, 1868,  Aged  75  Yrs.  5  Mos.  18  Dys. 
She  stretched  out  her  hand  to  the  poor;   yea,  she  reached  forth  her  hands 
to  the  needy";  on  the  north  side,  "Rev.  Charles  K.  Colver,  1821-1896 — 
his  wife,  Susan  C.  Reed,  1827-1889."    The  inscriptions  on  the  six  head- 
stones in  a  row  back  of  the  monument,  beginning  with  the  north  one 
read:  (i)  "Rev.  Charles  K.  Colver,  May  22,  1821— Oct.  24,  1896  ";    (2) 
"Susan  C.  Reed,  wife  of  Rev.  Charles  K.  Colver,  Dec.  30,  1827— Sept.  12, 
1889";   (3)"N.C.";   (4)"S.T.C.";   (5)  "Sarah  Colver,  Mar.  24, 1833— 


382  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

It  was  said  of  Mrs.  Rosenberger  that  her  influence  would 
not  only  continue  long  through  the  thousands  whom  she  met 
and  helped  during  her  practically  thirty  years  of  service  in  the 
public  schools  of  Chicago,  first  as  a  teacher  and  then  as  a  princi- 
pal, but  longer  still  through  the  permanent  provisions  which 
she,  with  her  husband,  took  pleasure  in  making  for  educational 
purposes,  comprising  lectures  and  various  forms  of  aid  for 
students.1 

Supplementary  to  those  endowments,  two  permanent  educa- 
tional memorials  were  established  in  1919  in  her  honor  and  to 
help  perpetuate  her  influence. 

One  of  these  memorials  consists  of  an  endowment  at  the 
University  of  Chicago  of  "The  Susan  Colver  Rosenberger 
Educational  Prizes."  These  prizes  are  to  be  awarded,  alter- 
nately, in  two  or  more  different  departments  of  the  University, 
as,  for  example,  one  prize  may  be  awarded  in  the  school  of 
education  for  a  dissertation  giving  the  results  of  valuable 
original  research  on  some  important  phase  of  sound  elementary, 
home,  kindergarten,  primary,  or  grammar-school  education, 
its  principles,  needs,  methods,  or  discipline,  or  pertaining  to 
child  welfare.  Another  prize  may  be  given,  as  a  reward  for 
meritorious  original  research  and  an  acceptable  dissertation,  in 
some  other  department  of  the  University,  on  some  important 
phase  of  education  or  educational  principles,  needs,  or  methods 
in  relation  to  or  as  an  essential  part  of  religious,  home-mission, 

July  i,  1854";  (6)  "Mary  B.  Carter,  wife  of  Dr.  Ira  Hatch,  Aug.  18, 
1818— Feb.  25,  1879."  Sarah  Colver  was  Dr.  Nathaniel  Colver's  only 
daughter;  and  Mary  B.  Carter  was  his  faithful  stepdaughter.  In  front 
of  the  monument  is  the  headstone  for  his  son,  "Phineas  C.  Colver, 
Jan.  4,  1819 — Sept.  19,  1905." 

The  one  other  headstone  on  the  lot  has  engraved  on  it: 
SUSAN  E.  COLVER 

wife  of 

Jesse  L.  Rosenberger 
1859-1918 

lThe  University  of  Chicago  Magazine,  Vol.  XI  (January,  1919),  p.  103. 


THROUGH  THE  THREE  DECADES  FROM  1890          383 

foreign-mission,  Sunday-school,  social-settlement  or  better- 
ment work,  or  in  relation  to  the  general  welfare,  whichever  it  is 
believed  at  the  time  will  do  the  most  good.1 

The  second  memorial  is  an  endowment  at  Brown  University 
of  what  are  there  called  "  The  Susan  Colver  Rosenberger  Prizes," 
with  an  alternate  provision  for  a  medal.  These  prizes  are 
not  to  be  assigned  permanently  to  any  one  department  of  the 
University,  nor  continuously  for  any  one  thing,  but  to  be 
awarded  for  whatever,  from  year  to  year,  it  is  believed  will  at 
the  time  do  the  greatest  good,  either  in  the  interests  of  scholar- 
ship or  for  the  development  of  character.2 

In  view  of  the  endowments  referred  to  and  these  memorials 
for  educational  purposes,  with  all  of  which  the  name  of  Mrs. 
Rosenberger  is  connected,  and  in  consequence  of  the  fact  that 
some  of  the  endowments  are  named  in  whole  or  in  part  in  honor 
of  her  father,  Rev.  Charles  Kendrick  Colver,  and  of  her  grand- 
father, Dr.  Nathaniel  Colver,  it  seemed  to  be  desirable  that  a 
somewhat  full  account  of  the  lives  of  the  three  should  be  pre- 
served, in  order  to  give  increased  significance  to  the  endow- 
ments, as  suggested  in  the  Preface.  Besides,  it  was  believed 
that  their  life-stories,  taken  by  themselves,  would  prove  interest- 
ing, instructive,  and  inspiring. 

For  the  better  understanding  of  their  distinctive  characters, 
and  what  they  did,  it  was  thought  best,  if  not  absolutely 
necessary,  to  follow  the  line  of  their  descent  from  early  Puritan 
days  in  New  England,  and  to  tell  considerable  about  the  times 
in  which  they  lived,  or  to  give  a  sort  of  cross-section  of  American 
history.  This  historical  matter  furthermore  held  a  promise  of 
adding  to  the  permanent,  general  value  of  the  work,  particularly 
as  one  to  be  used  for  reference.  Part  V  was  included  to  com- 
plete the  historical  plan. 

1  Annual  Register  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  1918-19,  pp.  89-90. 

'The  Catalogue  of  Brown  University;  also,  Brown  University,  Treasurer's 
Report,  1919-20,  pp.  16-17. 


384  THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

There  was  no  material  at  hand  for  the  undertaking.  The 
most  of  that  for  which  citations  of  sources  have  been  given  was 
found  in  libraries,  large  and  small,  here  and  there.  Files  of 
local  newspapers  helped  out  very  much,  especially  by  furnishing 
contemporaneous  accounts  of  many  things.  Old  records  of 
churches  supplied  some  dates  and  items  of  interest.  But 
some  of  the  churches  had  no  records  preserved  going  back  to 
the  points  desired,  due  mainly  to  the  general  indifference  to  such 
records.  Other  churches  had  only  very  imperfect  records. 
The  records  of  one  important  church  which  was  merged  with 
another  were  destroyed,  just  before  the  merger,  so  as  to 
prevent  the  members  of  the  other  church  from  seeing  them. 
Moreover,  of  some  records  and  documents  that  I  knew  had  been 
sent  to  certain  churches  and  libraries  for  safe-keeping  no  trace 
could  be  found  when  I  wanted  to  consult  them. 

Under  these  circumstances  has  this  volume  been  prepared, 
trusting  that  it  may  in  some  measure  serve  the  purposes 
indicated. 


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3rd  to  5th,  First  Baptist  Church,  Ogdensburg,  N.Y.,  37  n. 
Providence  Journal,  145 
Public  Records  of  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  from  1665  to  1678,  with 

the  Journal  of  the  Council  of  War,  1675  to  1678,  5  n.,  13  n. 
Public  Records  of  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  from  October,  1706,  to 

October,  1716,  13  n. 
Records  of  the  Governor  and  Company  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  in 

New  England,  228  n. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  389 

Reed,  Jacob  Whittemore,  History  of  the  Reed  Family  in  Europe  and 

America,  227  n.,  228  n. 
Reed,  John  Ludovicus,  The  Reade  Genealogy;  Descendants  of  William 

Reade  of  Weymouth,  Massachusetts,  from  1635  to  1902,  228  n. 
River  Falls  Advance,  185 
River  Falls  Journal,  185,  186,  187 

Rosenberger,  J.  L.,  Bank  Officers:  Rights,  Powers,  Duties,  and  Lia- 
bilities, 369  n. 

,  Bulletin  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  and  Sunday  School,  367. 

,  Business  Aid,  369,  370  n. 

,  Business  Law,  369. 

,  Law  for  Lumbermen,  368  n. 

,  Real  Estate  Decisions  of  the  Supreme  Courts  of  the  Various 

States,  369  n. 

,  Rosenberger' *s  Law  Monthly,  369. 

,  Rosenberger's  Pocket  Law  Journal,  369. 

,  Street  Railway  Law,  368  n. 

Sachse,  Julius  Friedrich,  The  German  Sectarians  of  Pennsylvania,  13  n. 
Seaver,  Frederick  J.,  Historical  Sketches  of  Franklin  County,  New 

York,  39  n. 
Seymour,  E.  S.,  Sketches  of  Minnesota,  the  New  England  of  the 

West,  297 

Shaw,  Rev.  James,  Twelve  Years  in  America,  243  n. 
Shea,  John  Gilmary,  Discovery  and  Exploration  of  the  Mississippi 

Valley,  299  n. 

,  Early  Voyages  Up  and  Down  the  Mississippi,  300  n. 

Smith,  Rev.  J.  A.,  Memoir  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  D.D.,  with 

Lectures.  Plans  of  Sermons,  etc.,  20  n.,  28  n.,  34  n.,  36  n.,  59  n., 

60  n.,  72  n.,  74  n.,  117  n. 
,  "Nathaniel   Colver:    A   Review  of  His  Life,"   Standard, 

115  n. 
,  Funeral  Sermon  of  Mrs.  Sarah  T.  Colver,  Standard,  May  7, 

1868,  131  n. 
Snow,  Rev.  Chas.  A.,  Historical  Discourse  Given  on  the  Fiftieth 

Anniversary  of  the  Baptist  Church,  South  Abington,  Mass.,  Nov.  6, 

1872,  68  n.,  162  n. 
Standard,  112, 113, 115  n.,  116, 117  n.,  119, 193  n.,  264,  265,  267  and  n., 

269,  354  n.,  355  n.,  359  n.,  361 


390          THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 

Thirty-eighth  Annual  Report  of  the  Massachusetts  Baptist  Convention, 

52  n. 
Thurston,  Elisha  P.,  History  of  the  Town  of  Greenwich  from  the  Earliest 

Settlement  to  July  4,  1876,  43  n. 
Twain,  Mark,  Life  on  the  Mississippi,  333  n. 
Twenty -fifth  Annual  Report  of  the  Board  of  Education  [of  Chicago]  for 

the  Year  Ending  July  31,  1879,  272  n. 
University  of  Chicago  Magazine,  382  n. 
Upham,  Warren,  Minnesota  Geographic  Names,  299  n. 
Vermont  Historical  Gazetteer,  129  n. 
Watchman  and  Reflector,  108  n.,  118,  119  n. 
Worcester:  Its  Past  and  Present,  153  n. 
Worthington,  Erastus,  The  History  of  Dedham,  from  the  Beginning  oj 

Its  Settlement  in  September,  1635,  to  May,  1827,  8  n. 
Yearbook  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Elgin,  III.,  1907,  166  n. 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Aeroplanes,  324,  364,  365 

Aiken  Institute,  80 

Alaska- Yukon-Pacific  Exposition, 
287 

Almanacs,  327 

Amendment  to  the  Constitution, 
Eighteenth,  365;  Nineteenth,  365 

American  Antislavery  Society,  46 

American  Baptist  Antislavery  Con- 
vention, 52 

American  Baptist  Home  Mission 
Society,  74,  103  n.,  105  n.,  113 

American  Museum  of  Natural 
History,  377 

Amusements  and  diversions:  few 
and  mainly  utilitarian,  23,  129, 
230-31;  apple-paring,  corn-husk- 
ing, quilting  bees,  _  129,  135; 
church  festivals,  sociables,  sup- 
pers, donations,  254,  327,  329;  in 
fraternal  organizations,  327; 
friendly  visiting,  129,  230,  327; 
going  to  meetings,  230,  253,  327; 
going  to  town,  and  at  stores,  135, 
327;  hunting,  fishing,  trapping, 
23,  129,  135,  326;  occasional 
lectures  or  concerts,  253,  307; 
reading  in  the  evening,  327; 
school  entertainments,  debates, 
picnics,  spelling  matches,  253-54, 
256,  327;  skating,  sleighing, 
parties,  dancing,  326;  theater- 
going, none  in  small  villages,  324; 
war-time  play  of  boys,  304; 
whiter  fireside  pastimes,  326; 
games  of  boys  and  girls,  129,  136, 
325-26 

Anderson,  Galusha:  president  of  old 
University  of  Chicago  1878-85, 
264,  355;  previously  pastor  of 
Second  Baptist  Church,  Chicago, 
264;  some  things  he  did  and  said 
as  president,  265,  266-68 


Anderson,  Martin  B.:  appearance 
and  character,  358;  distinguished 
for  ability  as  first  president  of 
University  of  Rochester,  358-62; 
emphasized  call  to  self-sacrifice 
and  duty  to  bring  things  to  pass, 
359;  on  a  man's  foes,  361;  on 
obligation  to  labor  and  right  use 
of  wealth,  360;  talks  in  chapel  and 
to  students  privately,  358-59,  362 

Andover,  Mass.,  148, 163-65,  236-38 

Andover  Theological  Seminary,  163, 
237 

Animals,  etc.:  animals,  wild,  pres- 
ence of,  4,  10,  24;  bears,  wolves, 
mink,  muskrat,  and  deer  in 
northern  New  York,  23,  130; 
bears,  wolves,  foxes,  wildcats  in 
Massachusetts,  8,  236;  black- 
birds a  nuisance,  236;  prairie 
wolves  in  Chicago,  271;  bears, 
buffaloes,  rattlesnakes  hi  vicinity 
of  Lake  Pepin,  299,  300;  fish  in 
lake,  339;  game  near  Maiden 
Rock,  Wis.,  337;  uses  of  skins  or 
furs,  135,  321-22 

Atlantic  City,  N.J.,  377 

Atlantic  telegraph,  celebration  of, 
161 

Austerlitz,  N.Y.,  25,  26 

Automobiles,  324,  364 

Backus,  Isaac,  9  n.,  13;  Joseph,  13; 
Lieutenant  William,  Jr.,  10; 
Sarah,  9 

Bailey,  Dr.  Silas,  94 

Baptisms:  early,  m  northern  New 
York,  38;  many  at  Union  Village, 
now  Greenwich,  N.Y.,  43;  in 
streams,  168,  184;  of  thousands 
(in  India),  98;  through  hole  cut  in 
ice  on  lake,  328;  of  infants, 
opposed,  1 60 


393 


394 


THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 


Baptist  Anniversaries  or  "May 
Meetings,"  81  n.,  104,  122,  197 

Baptist  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
and  the  Triennial  Convention  of 
1841,  review  of  doings  of,  relative 
to  slavery,  53-55 

Baptist  churches  in  places  named: 
Andover,  Mass.,  163-64,  190  n., 
237-38;  Boston,  Mass.:  First,  15, 
59,  65,  160;  First  Free,  afterward 
Tremont  Street  or  "Tremont 
Temple,"  31  n.,  47~52,  58,  59, 
63-65,  118,  123,  124,  146,  147; 
Burlington,  Vt.,  First,  92;  Charles- 
town,  Mass.:  First,  160;  High 
Street,  159-61, 190 n.;  mChicago, 
III.:  in  1 86 1,  Berean,  Edina 
Place,  First,  North,  Tabernacle, 
Union,  Zoar  (colored),  all,  75; 
First,  75,  76,  79,  94,  122,  191,  193, 
198  n.,  199,  367;  Fifth,  31  n.,  80, 
81,  112;  Immanuel,  284,  355; 
Second,  31  n.,  80,  91,  97,  264; 
Tabernacle,  31  n.,  75,  76,  79-80, 
91,  97;  University  Place,  112; 
Cincinnati,  Ohio:  First,  31  n.,  70, 
73;  Ninth  Street,  70;  Detroit, 
Mich.:  First,  31  n.,  68-70,  156- 
59,  190  n.;  Elgin,  III.:  African, 
171;  First,  166,  168,  190  n.;  Fort 
Ann,  N.Y.,  31  n.,  39;  Fort  Cov- 
ington,  N.Y.,  31  n.,  36,  37-39; 
Kingsbury,  N.Y.,  31  n.,  39-40; 
Holmesburg,  Pa.,  31  n.,  41;  Hub- 
bardton,  Vt.,  18-19;  Massachu- 
setts: number  in  1839,  52;  in 
1845,  151;  Menomonie,  Wis.: 
First,  180,  183,  191  n.;  Im- 
manuel, 182;  Olivet,  181-83, 
191  n.,  256;  Mount  Carroll,  III., 
172,  174  and  n.,  190  n.;  New 
Lisbon,  Wis.,  177,  178,  191  n.; 
Newport,  R.I.,  15;  Providence, 
R.I.,  First,  15,  145,  146;  Ogdens- 
burg,  N.Y.,  First,  37n.;  Rich- 
mond, Va.}  First  African,  106, 108, 
109, 123  n.;  River  Falls,  Wis.,  182, 
184,  191  n.;  South  Abington,  now 
Whitman,  Mass.,  31  n.,  66,  161, 
162,  190  n.,  229,  232,  235;  Ster- 
ling, III.,  297;  Swansea,  Mass.,  15; 


Union  Village,  now  Greenwich, 
N.Y.,  "Bottskill,"  31  n.,  41,  42, 
43  and  nn.,  44,  49,  137,  223; 
Wasco,  III.,  189;  Watertown, 
Mass.,  151,  i9on.;  West  Claren- 
don, Vt.,  at  what  is  now  Chippen- 
hook,  31  n.,  32-33,  128;  Wheaton, 
III.,  188,  191  n.;  Woodstock,  III., 
31  n.,  75;  Worcester,  Mass.,  Pleas- 
ant Street,  152-54,  190  n. 

Baptist  church  organization,  29,  36, 
50,  1 60,  1 68,  1 80,  181;  records, 
384  • 

Baptist  Education  Society  of  New 
York,  37 

"Baptist  inns,"  138 

Baptist  meetinghouses  described  or 
pictured,  references  in  italics 
being  to  pictures  facing  those 
pages:  Andover,  Mass.,  163,  163; 
Boston,  Mass.,  Tremont  Temple 
in  1843,  47,  58;  Chicago,  111.: 
first  or  Temple  building,  76,  381; 
First,  moved  for  Second  Church, 
7g,  79;  Elgin,  111.,  168;  Fort 
Covington,  N.Y.,  33,  36,  37  n.; 
Holmesburg,  Pa.,  47;  Hubbard- 
ton,Vt.,  18-19;  Kingsbury,  N.Y., 
39-40,  141;  Providence,  R.I., 
First,  erected  in  1775,  145,  146, 
1 6 3;  Richmond,  Va.,  First  Afri- 
can, 105;  Union  Village,  now 
Greenwich,  N.Y.,  "Bottskill," 
7g;  Watertown,  Mass.,  three 
successive,  151;  West  Clarendon, 
at  what  is  now  Chippenhook,  Vt., 
built  in  1798,  with  added  horse 
sheds  in  rear,  33,  33,  128;  Whit- 
man, formerly  South  Abington, 
Mass.,  229;  some  of  the  meeting- 
houses had  benches,  18,  30;  some, 
box  pews,  33 ;  some  pews  were 
sold,  29,  sometimes  conditionally, 
66,  but  the  rule  was  free  seats, 
except  in  Boston,  30,  where  in 
1839  its  "First  Free  Baptist 
Church"  was  organized,  50-51; 
steeples  were  not  always  favored, 
36;  uses  of  horse  sheds  like  those 
in  views  facing  p.  33,  37  n.,  232 


INDEX 


395 


Baptist  preachers:  early,  were 
mainly  self-educated,  itinerant, 
self-supported,  18,  20,  29;  ex- 
amples, 16-17,  19-20,  35-36,^38; 
hardships  endured,  18,  29;  little 
baggage,  but  carried  Bible  and 
psalm  book,  18,  26;  many 
Calvinistic,  28,  66,  98;  preached 
extemporaneously,  28,  35-36; 
salaries  paid  pastors,  34,  43  n., 
49-50  n.;  yearly  contracts  made, 
29;  should  not  be  hirelings,  100; 
supply  inadequate,  and  essentials 
to  call,  85-90;  title,  "Elder,"  30; 
unable  to  read,  many  in  South, 
104;  untiring  colored  workers,  109 

Baptists:  early,  14-15,  141-42; 
general  character,  19,  29,  42,  178; 
harshly  treated,  15,  153,  160,  163; 
held  meetings  at  first  in  log 
cabins  or  private  houses,  barns, 
schoolhouses,  town  halls,  or  out- 
doors, 20,  36,  160,  167-68;  held 
meetings  without  ministers,  19, 
167-68;  house  of  worship  built  by, 
in  Boston  in  1679, 160;  old  churches 
of,  15,  76,  166,  168;  reasons  of, 
for  leaving  parish  churches,  160; 
sought  freedom  of  worship  and 
from  taxation  for  religious  pur- 
poses, 153,  1 60,  163;  strict  in 
church  discipline,  30,  43  n.,  156; 
went  early  into  New  York  State, 
42,  and  Vermont,  33,  128;  Roger- 
ene,  12 

Baptist  Theological  Union,  94,  96  n., 
101;  incorporated,  95 

Baptist  Union  Theological  Sem- 
inary: Chicago  as  place  for,  85, 
90,  92;  founding,  efforts  preced- 
ing, 90,  93-95;  organization  and 
incorporation  of  the  Baptist 
Theological  Union,  94,  95;  origi- 
nal site  of  Seminary,  96;  part 
taken  by  or  attributed  to  Dr. 
Colver,  vii,  91-92,  95-96  and  n., 
97,  101,  120-21,  123,  124;  second 
professor,  96  and  n.,  97;  Ver- 
mont, aid  from,  91-92;  years 
later  blessed  with  "union  and 


harmony  in  denominational  mat- 
ters," 265,  and  afterward  made 
the  Divinity  School  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago,  vii,  100 

Barber,  Elder  Edward,  41-43 

Barnes,  Lawrence,  92 

Beaver  Dam,  Wis.,  259,  260 

Bible:  effect  of  making  sole  guide, 
14;  example  in  Dr.  Nathaniel 
Colver  of  being  filled  with  it  in 
childhood,  vii,  26-27,  and  be- 
coming a  notable  expounder  of 
it,  35-36,  59-60,  95;  how  loved, 
studied,  and  used  by  Rev. 
Charles  Kendrick  Colver,  134, 
135,  169-71,  187,  189,  192-93, 
197-224;  itinerant  Baptist 
preachers  carried  it,  18,  26;  light 
from  it  needed  in  South,  104; 
meditations  on,  200-224;  not 
defense  for  slavery,  76,  nor  for 
tipplers,  186;  read  at  one  time 
in  public  schools  of  Illinois,  243, 
and  of  Chicago,  272;  religion  of 
it  is  kind,  200;  students  urged  to 
have  it,  262 

Binney,  Dr.  J.  G.,  105  n. 

Boer  War,  365 

Boise,  Professor  James  R.,  261 

Bolles,  John,  13 

Boston,  Mass.,  approximate  time 
founded,  4;  called  "most  fascinat- 
ing city  in  America,"  59;  Com- 
mon long  used  for  pasturage,  146; 
disturbed  by  prophecy  of  end  of 
world,  56;  excited  over  arrest  of 
fugitive  slave,  56;  First  Free 
Baptist  Church,  47-51;  had  first 
high  school  in  America, '  260; 
important  center  of  influence,  5 1 ; 
La  Grange  Place  and  Province 
House  Court  described,  146-47; 
Marlboro  Chapel,  47,  56,  65;  out- 
break of  influenza,  380;  outlying 
country,  237;  population,  white 
and  colored,  and  number  of 
street  lamps  in  1839,  5 1 ;  Province 
House,  147;  stagecoaches,  51; 
statement  in  1846  of  number  of 


396 


THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 


dwelling-houses,  families,  families 
doing  own  work,  clergy  in  city, 
and  church  expenses,  52;  treat- 
ment of  early  Baptists  who  after- 
ward (in  1679)  built  small  meet- 
inghouse, 1 60;  Tremont  Temple 
pastorate  of  Dr.  Colver,  47-65; 
Tremont  Temple,  shown  facing 
page  47,  created  from  archi- 
tecturally admired  theater,  58; 
utter  destruction  of  Temple  by 
fire,  64-65 

Brantly,  Dr.  W.  T.,  40,  41 

Brown,  John,  71,  72  n. 

Brown  University,  date  and  purpose 
of  founding,  as  Rhode  Island 
College,  142;  discipline,  143; 
distinction  in  Francis  Wayland  as 
president,  142;  faculty,  students, 
and  expenses  in  1838-39,  142; 
four  buildings  in  1840,  142, 
pictured,  facing  p.  141 ;  graduated 
Charles  Kendrick  Colver  with 
honor  in  1842,  144;  has  "Charles 
K.  Colver  Lectures,"  251  n.; 
introduced  the  elective  system, 
144;  location,  141;  Master  of 
Arts,  advertisement  as  to  applica- 
tions for,  145;  physical  culture 
not  provided  for,  144;  property 
valuation  in  1840,  142;  regula- 
tions, 142-43;  relations  between 
faculty  and  students,  143-44; 
student  life  for  class  of  1842  as 
described  by  Albert  Harkness, 
143;  Susan  Colver  Rosenberger 
Prizes,  383;  time  and  manner  of 
celebrating  commencement,  144- 
45,  including  use  of  historic  meet- 
inghouse pictured,  facing  p.  163 

Brush  Heap,  graduate  of,  vii; 
alumni  of,  122 

Bryan,  William  Jennings,  378 

Bulletin  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
and  Sunday  School  of  Chicago,  367 

Burroughs,  Dr.  J.  C.,  102  n. 

California,  374-76;  University  of, 
visited,  375 


Campton  (Lily  Lake),  111.,  189 

Carter,  Mary  B.,  36,  in,  134  n., 
382  n. 

Carter,  Mrs.  Sarah  T.,  36 

Castellated  rocks,  254 

Castle  Lightning,  107 

Champlain,  N.Y.,  19,  23,  27 

Charlestown,  Mass.,  147, 159, 160-61 

Cherry  Valley,  305 

Chicago,  111.,  appearance,  business 
and  residential  districts  in  1861, 
83;  Baptist  churches  in  1861,  75; 
boundaries,  original,  in  1861,  and 
by  third  extension,  82,  also 
southern  in  1879,  263;  com- 
mercial advantages  and  industries 
in  1 86 1,  83-84;  conditions  in 
1834-36,  271;  "Cottage  Grove" 
and  Camp  Douglas,  83;  fire,  79; 
First  Baptist  Church  and  a  bit  of 
the  city  in  1864  pictured,  facing 
p.  79;  first  or  Temple  church 
building,  76,  and  picture  of  it, 
facing  p.  381;  first  teaching  and 
school,  270-71;  first  high  school 
opened,  271;  "Garden  City,"  83; 
incorporated,  82;  institutions 
developed  up  to  1 86 1,  84;  Lincoln 
Park,  372,  374;  omnibuses,  83; 
organized,  82;  population  in  1833, 
1837, 1850, 1860,  82;  in  1882,  273; 
in  1890,  277,  363;  in  1920,  363; 
railroad  center,  83;  secret  of 
rapid  growth,  83-84;  State  and 
other  streets  and  street  railway 
in  1859,  83;  strategic  point,  90; 
trading  post  on  frontier  in  1840, 
82;  World's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion, 287;  see  also  Baptist  churches 
in  Chicago;  Baptist  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary;  Chicago,  ele- 
mentary public  schools  in;  Chi- 
cago, old  or  first  University  of 

Chicago,  elementary  public  schools 
in:  amis  of  work  in,  273,  277-78; 
buildings  for,  in  1882,  272,  and 
in  1890,  277;  census  figures  of 
1882,  273,  and  of  1890,  277; 
conditions  in  1854,  271,  and  in 


INDEX 


397 


1882,  272-73;  corporal  punish- 
ment abolished,  273;  date  of 
first  school,  270-71,  and  of  first 
superintendent,  271;  declama- 
tion, day  of  declared  past,  273; 
discipline,  new  modes  of  required, 
273;  evening  schools,  first,  271; 
experiences  of  teacher  hi  1834-36, 
271;  "fads,"  reason  for  introduc- 
tion of,  274;  field  for  service 
offered  women,  270;  first  pro- 
visions made  for  deaf-mutes,  272, 
and  for  instruction  hi  drawing, 
German,  vocal  music,  271;  grad- 
ing and  teachers'  institute  estab- 
lished, 271;  manual  training 
strongly  opposed,  274;  number  of 
schools  in  1861,  84;  opening 
exercises  hi  1860,  272;  pupils' 
length  of  attendance,  272;  sub- 
jects taught  hi  1854,  271;  various 
developments,  281  n.;  Wallace 
Street  (afterward  McClellan) 
School,  location  of,  270;  work  of 
Miss  Colver  as  principal  of  the 
Horace  Mann  School,  276-88: 
date  made  grammar  school,  278; 
description  and  location  of  build- 
ing, 276;  environment,  276-77, 
282;  former  Hartigan  School 
made  a  branch,  281;  gymnastic 
apparatus  and  equipment  for 
manual  training  provided,  280; 
kindergarten  soon  started,  280, 
289;  library  begun,  280;  other 
features  and  best  methods  intro- 
duced, 279-80;  parents'  associa- 
tion early  organized,  280,  290; 
public  entertainments  a  feature, 
277,  280,  284;  school  for  car- 
penters' apprentices,  281;  stere- 
opticon  used,  280-81;  teachers, 
treatment  of,  279-80,  282-83, 
285-86;  transfer  of  Miss  Colver 
to  the  principalship  of  the 
Nathanael  Greene  School,  287-88; 
views  of  the  two  schoolhouses 
face  p.  276 

Chicago,  old  or  first  University  of: 
attractive  appearance,  350,  and 
view  facing  p.  356;  building  de- 


scribed, 85,  350;  campus,  size  and 
location  of,  84;  coeducational 
from  1874,  264;  condition  after 
21  years,  or  hi  1878,  264;  crippled 
by  panic  of  1857  and  by  jealousies, 
90,  265;  "Cynic  Hall,"  351; 
departments,  263;  endowment 
$600,  266;  endowments  of  scholar- 
ships consumed  as  gathered,  266; 
enrolment,  1881-82,  267;  financial 
condition  hi  1881,  265-67;  fore- 
closure of  mortgage  or  trust  deed, 
354;  incorporation,  date  of,  84; 
indebtedness  hi  1886,  355;  min- 
isters' institutes,  98;  object  of 
founding,  90;  observatory  and 
telescope,  85,  350;  opening, 
original,  and  hi  own  building,  84; 
presidency  of  Dr.  Galusha  Ander- 
son, 264,  355;  presidency  offered 
to  Dr.  William  R.  Harper,  and 
to  Dr.  George  C.  Lorimer  who 
acted  ad  interim,  355;  professors, 
work  and  pay  of,  264,  266-68, 354; 
rooms  and  furnishings,  85, 350-51 ; 
scholarship  high,  264-65,  268-69, 
354;  student  life,  change  in,  353- 
54;  students  chiefly  self-support- 
ing, and  some  sent  money  home, 
350,  351;  students,  outside  work 
of,  and  what  it  paid,  351-53; 
theology  taught  by  Dr.  Colver, 
vii,  95-97,  ioo,  124;  year  of 
closing,  355-56 

Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  84 

Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Rail- 
road Company,  freight  claim 
office  of,  353,  362 

Chicago  Camera  Club,  370 

Chicago  College  of  Law,  362 

Chicago  Society  of  Amateur  Photog- 
raphers, 370 

Chippenhook,  Vt.,  31  n.,  32,  128 

Chippewa  Indians,  301 

Chippewa  River,  298 

Choate,  Rufus,  147 

Church  and  religious  matters  hi 
New  England:  aim  of  first 
settlers  and  character  of  their 


398 


THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 


churches,  5-6,  13-14;  boys  and 
girls  at  church,  7,  246;  church  and 
society  distinguished,  233-34; 
Dedham  covenant,  6,  n,  meeting- 
house, 6-7,  prevailing  conditions, 
8;  dogs  in  meetinghouses,  7,  8, 
232,  234-35;  drums  used  instead 
of  bells,  ii ;  meetinghouses  not 
warmed,  19,  232;  music,  19,  234, 
235;  ministers,  7-8,  160,  233; 
offense  given  by  "female  sex," 
234;  parishes  and  parish  churches, 
8,  14;  Puritans,  religious  char- 
acter of,  ii,  13-14;  religious 
character  of  people  in  general,  6, 
8,  230;  Rogerenes,  trouble  from, 
12-13;  rum  used  to  celebrate 
raising  of  meetinghouses,  233; 
seating  of  congregations,  7,  18; 
sermons,  7,  232;  taxation,  8,  14, 
X53>  233;  tithingman,  7;  trans- 
formation into  Congregational 
and  Unitarian  churches,  14;  see 
also  Baptist  churches 

Cincinnati,  Ohio :  approximate 
population  of,  in  1856,  70;  Bap- 
tist churches,  number  of,  70; 
Fairmount  Theological  Seminary, 
74;  location  of  First  Baptist 
Church,  afterward  merged  with 
Ninth  Street  Baptist  Church,  70; 
pastorate  of  Dr.  Colver,  31  n., 
70-75;  scene  of  many  conflicts 
over  slavery,  70-71;  station  of 
underground  railway,  70 

Civil  War:  date  of,  365;  military 
and  political  situation  in  April, 
1862,  77-79;  prerequisites  to 
peace,  78-79;  prosperity  of  farm- 
ers in  Illinois,  242;  wages  and 
cost  of  living,  242;  effect  on  play 
and  toys  of  boys,  304;  work  of 
pastors  of  churches,  76,  169 

Clarendon,  Vt.,  32,  127-28,  134  n. 

Clark,  SaUy,  24 

Clarke,  Rev.  J.  C.  C.,  96  n.,  97 

Climate,  quest  of  ideal,  374-80 

Clothing,  boots,  and  shoes:  all 
clothing  at  first  homespun  and 


homemade,  17,  with  gradual 
change,  128,  i34~35>  321;  apparel 
of  men,  35,  320-22;  boots,  and 
need  of  bootjack,  322;  clothing 
for  boys,  134-35,323-24;  clothing 
of  women  in  New  England,  232; 
dress  goods  and  styles  of  women, 
320;  girls  anxious  for  long 
dresses,  323;  shoemakers,  tailors, 
and  dressmakers  went  to  people's 
homes  to  do  their  work,  135; 
shoes  for  women,  boys,  and  girls, 
323;  in  Vermont  some  children 
went  barefooted  all  winter,  18; 
requirements  in  Georgia,  379; 
ulsters  in  Florida,  378 
Clough,  Dr.  John  E.,  98-99 
Colgate  University,  139,  148,  356 
Colver:  Mrs.  Anne,  4,  ii  n.; 
Edward,  4-5  and  nn.,  9,  ii  n.,  12; 
Lieutenant  Edward,  9-11  and  n.; 
Mrs.  Esther  B.  B.,  155-56; 
Hiram  Wallace,  134 n;  John,  ii 
and  n.,  12-13;  John  Dean,  134  n.; 
Elder  Nathaniel,  1728-1809,  16- 
17;  Elder  Nathaniel,  1755-1831, 
19-20;  Phineas,  24,  39;  Phineas 
Clark,  134  n.,  381  n.;  Sergeant 
Samuel,  10-11  and  n.,  16;  Mrs. 
Sally,  24,  130  and  n.,  134  n.; 
Sarah,  134  n.,  381-82  n.;  Mrs. 
Sarah  T.,  36,  in,  131-32,  134  n., 
381  n.;  Mrs.  Susan  C.,  162,  165, 
193  n.,  227;  William  Nathaniel, 
134  n.;  spelling  of  name  "  Colver," 
4n.;  view  of  Colver  lot  in  Oak 
Woods  Cemetery,  Chicago,  faces 
p.  381,  with  copies  of  inscriptions, 
381-82  n. 

Colver,  Rev.  Charles  Kendrick: 
born  in  the  Green  Mountains, 
127;  boyhood  in  New  York  State, 
129-37;  educated  at  Hamilton 
Literary  and  Theological  Institu- 
tion, 139-41,  Brown  University, 
141-45,  and  Newton  Theological 
Institution,  147-49;  graduated 
with  honor  from  Brown  Univer- 
sity, 144;  graduation  essay  at  New- 
ton, 149;  he  was  distinguished 


INDEX 


399 


for  his  character,  scholarship, 
and  simple  life,  127,  149-50, 
157-58,  192,  194;  lectures  at 
Brown  University  named  for  him, 
251  n.;  looks,  150,  158,  178,  187; 
love  and  use  of  the  Bible,  134, 170, 
187, 189, 192-93, 197-98;  marriage 
tests  and  home  life,  155-56,  162- 
63,  165,  170-72,  189-90,  195-97; 
meditations,  scriptural,  199-224; 
musician,  178-79,  187;  ordina- 
tion, 152;  pastorates,  in  their 
order:  at  Watertown,  Mass., 
151-53;  Worcester,  Mass.  (Pleas- 
ant Street  Baptist  Church),  152- 
55;  Detroit,  Mich.  (First  Baptist 
Church),  156-57;  Charlestown, 
Mass.  (High  Street  Baptist 
Church),  159-61;  South  Abington 
(now  Whitman),  Mass.,  161-62; 
Andover,  Mass.,  163-65;  Elgin, 
111.,  166,  169-72;  Mount  Carroll, 
111.,  172-74;  New  Lisbon,  Wis., 
1 7 7-79j  Menomonie,  Wis.  (First 
Baptist  Church),  180-81,  and 
(Olivet  Baptist  Church),  181- 
83;  River  Falls,  Wis.,  184-87; 
Wheaton,  111.,  188-89;  pastorates, 
list  of,  with  dates,  190-91  n.;  por- 
trait, facing  p.  127;  preached  at 
Campton  (now  Lily  Lake)  and 
Wasco,  111.,  and  Union  Pier,  Mich., 
189;  preaching,  character  of,  155, 
158-59,  169-70,  172-73,  178,  184- 
86, 190;  salary,  too  easy  about,  179, 
184;  statements  touching  slavery, 
154,  164;  taught  in  Mount  Car- 
roll Seminary,  174-77;  themes  of 
lectures,  173-74,  180,  185,  191; 
on  "Thoroughness,"  176-77;  trip 
to  South  America,  155;  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago,  made  first  cash 
contribution  toward,  196;  visit 
to  the  Holy  Land,  197;  summing 
up,  194-98 

Colver,  Rev.  Nathaniel,  D.D.: 
appearance,  35,  and  portrait 
(frontispiece),  iii;  preacher,  aboli- 
tionist, ministerial  educator,  vii; 
ability  and  other  qualities  in- 


herited, 23;  boy  life  in  northern 
New  York,  23;  early  education 
limited,  except  that  he  devoured 
the  Bible,  26-27;  early  occupa- 
tions, 23-24;  conversion,  24,  25 
and  n. ;  educational  growth,  26-28 
and  n.,  48,  118-21;  degree  of 
D.D.  conferred  by  Denison  Uni- 
versity, 75;  first  preaching,  and 
ordination,  25-26,  32;  pastorates, 
in  their  order:  West  Clarendon, 
Vt.,  32-35;  Fort  Covington, 
N.Y.,  35-39;  Kingsbury  and 
Fort  Ann,  N.Y.,  39-41;  Holmes- 
burg,  now  a  part  of  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  41-42;  Union  Village,  now 
Greenwich,  N.Y.  (Bottskill  Bap- 
tist Church),  41-44;  Boston, 
Mass.  (First  Free  and  later 
called  Tremont  Temple  Baptist 
Church),  47-65;  South  Abing- 
ton, now  Whitman,  Mass.,  66-68; 
Detroit,  Mich.  (First  Baptist 
Church),  68-70;  Cincinnati,  Ohio 
(First  Baptist  Church),  70-75; 
Woodstock,  111.,  75;  Chicago,  111. 
(Tabernacle  and  Second  Baptist 
Church,  and  Fifth  Baptist 
Church),  75-81;  pastorates,  list 
of,  with  dates,  31  n.;  portions  of 
letters,  36,  38,  71-72;  position 
with  regard  to  secret  societies, 
45-46;  portraits,  124;  preaching 
described,  35-36,  43,  59~6o,  69, 
73,  12 1 ;  subjects  discussed:  call 
to  the  ministry,  86-90;  cry  for 
' '  smooth ' '  preaching,  33-34; 
fugitive  slave  law,  60-63  J  military 
and  political  conditions  in  April, 
1862,  77-79;  parental  discipline, 
J32-33;  prophecy  of  Daniel 
alleged  to  foretell  end  of  world  in 
1843,  56-57;  temperance,  long 
and  strong  champion  of,  vii,  42, 
45,  47,  53;  trustee  of  Fairmount 
Theological  Seminary,  74;  twice 
married,  24,  36;  verses,  25  n.,  34, 
54,  116,  117,  124;  visits  to 
Philadelphia  and  Richmond,  40- 
41;  in  War  of  1812,  24;  warfare 


400 


THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 


on  slavery,  vii,  4i~44,  46~47,  53~ 
56,  60-63,  71-72,  78;  work  for 
ministerial  education:  in  Cin- 
cinnati, 74;  in  Chicago,  85,  91- 
102,  120-21,  123;  in  Richmond, 
for  the  freedmen,  103-10, 113-14, 
123  and  n.;  mustered  out,  111-17 

Colver,  Susan  Esther:  ancestry, 
birth,  portrait,  227;  birthplace, 
and  view  of  house  born  in,  229; 
child,  appearance  and  character 
as,  238-39,  245-47;  father  play- 
mate and  guide,  239-40,  249-50, 
253;  girlhood,  252-57;  health 
always  good,  238,  248,  259,  268; 
mother  an  invalid,  162,  239-40, 
245;  education,  244-45,  248,  249, 
252-53,  255,  258-59,  261,  268; 
essay  on  "Personality,"  269; 
degrees  received,  268,  269;  diver- 
sions, 238,  245-48,  250,  253-57, 
259,  268,  287;  musical  develop- 
ment, 248,  250,  259,  268,  275,  283, 
286;  qualifications  indicated  by 
examinations  passed,  270,  275-76; 
teacher  in  public  school,  270,  274- 
75;  twenty- two  years  a  principal, 
276-291;  travels,  241,  287;  vaca- 
tions, 268,  270,  287;  religion,  284, 
288;  marriage,  291;  see  also 
Chicago,  elementary  public 
schools  in,  and  Rosenberger,  Mrs. 
Susan  Esther  (Colver),  371-83 

Colver  Institute,  no,  123  n.,  379 

"  Commencement,"  i44~45 

Conant,  Thomas  J.,  140 

Congregational  Church,  14 

Cook,  William,  92 

Corcoran  Gallery  of  Art,  377 

Corey,  Dr.  Charles  H.,  108,  112, 
123  n. 

Corliss,  Dr.  Hiram,  43 

Cotton  States  and  Industrial  Exposi- 
tion at  Atlanta,  287 

Curtis,  Mrs.  Joseph,  178-79 

Daily  papers,  325 

Dakota  or  Sioux  Indians,  298,  301, 
3Q3&OS,  307  n. 


Dandelion  coffee,  304 

Davis,  Mial,  91-92 

Dean,  Esther,  19 

Dearborn  Observatory,  85,  350 

Dedham,  Mass.,  4,  5;  character  of 
inhabitants,  8;  covenant,  5,  6,  n; 
houses  and  customs,  6-7 

Degrees,  applications  for,  145-46 

Detroit,  Mich. :  population,  number 
of  buildings  and  of  Baptist 
churches  in  1852,  68;  station  of 
underground  railway,  70;  when 
First  Baptist  Church  organized 
and  room  occupied,  68;  pastorate 
of  Dr.  Nathaniel  Colver,  31  n., 
68-70;  of  Rev.  Charles  K. 
Colver,  156-59,  190  n.;  powerful 
pro-slavery  element  in  church,  159 

Detwiler,  Mary,  295  n. 

Dodge,  Ebenezer,  148 

Dogs,  7,  8,  232,  235;  dog-sledges, 
377  ^ 

Donation  parties,  171, 177, 184,  256, 
329 

Douglas,  Stephen  A.,  84 

Eck,  Lydia  K.,  289 

Educational  development:  advan- 
tages few  in  early  days,  vii,  18,  27, 
263;  conditions  described,  8,  18, 
136,  235,  263;  elementary  schools 
evolved  from  reading  and  writing 
schools,  260;  first  high  school, 
260;  Franklin's  Academy  the 
first,  260;  function  of  academies, 
259-60;  Illinois,  educational 
development  in,  241,  243;  normal 
school,  first,  260;  Pilgrims  and 
Puritans,  schools  and  educational 
legacy  of,  251  and  n.;  public 
schools,  difficulty  of  establishing 
free,  252;  schoolbooks  and  copy 
books,  342;  school  districts, 
formation  of,  235;  schoolhouse 
at  Dedham,  Mass.,  7;  school- 
house  at  Kingsbury,  N.Y.,  picture 
of,  facing  p.  141;  schoolhouse, 
first,  at  Maiden  Rock,  Wis.,  341- 


INDEX 


401 


42;  schoolhouses  used  for  meet- 
ings, 18,  36,  168,  328;  schools, 
early,  supported  by  license  fees, 
lotteries,  taxation  or  rate  bills, 
252;  teacher  of  country  school, 
duties  of,  345-46;  teacher,  pay- 
ment of  early,  129;  wood  for 
schools,  how  ob tamed,  129;  see 
also  Chicago,  elementary  public 
schools  in 

Edwards,  Jonathan,  28  n. 

Elgin,  111.:  called  "Bluff  City,"  244; 
date  founded,  167;  early  settlers 
and  their  character,  244;  First 
Baptist  Church,  organization  of, 
1 68;  first  meeting  and  first  school, 
1 68;  first  mills,  and  prior  sub- 
stitute for  gristmill,  167;  houses 
and  church  built  of  cobblestones, 
1 68;  population  in  1860  and  in 
1870,  169;  population  and  in- 
dustries in  1863,  244;  pastorate 
of  Rev.  Charles  K.  Colver, 
166  and  n.,  169-71,  190  n.; 
schools  and  pupils,  number  of,  in 
1863,  244;  seat  of  an  academy 
and  of  a  seminary,  244,  247; 
union  chapel,  168 

Epidemics,  235-36,  380,  381 

Fairmount  Theological  Seminary,  74 

Fashions,  320 

Faunce,  Rev.  Daniel  W.,  155  n. 

Faunce,  Dr.  W.  H.  P.,  155  n. 

Fishing,  339;  see  amusements 

Florida,  377-80 

Food:  of  early  settlers,  17;  of 
freedman  student,  109-10;  in 
German  Students'  Home,  357; 
at  pioneer  inns  and  hotels,  12, 
306-7;  plain  for  health,  165, 
374;  raised  hi  garden,  314 

Foot  stoves,  19,  232 

Ford,  Josephine  C.,  288 

Fort  Ann,  N.Y.,  31  n.,  39-40 

Fort  Covington,  N.Y.,  31  n.,  34-39 

Forts  established  by  the  French 
near  Lake  Pepin,  299  n.,  300 
and  n. 


Fox  River,  167,  244 

Frances  Shimer  School,  172;  see 
Mount  Carroll  Seminary 

Franco-Prussian  War,  365 

Franklin  College,  94 

Franklin's  Academy,  260 

Frontenac,  Minn.,  299  n.,  335,  336 

Fugitive  Slave  Law,  60-63  n->  67>  72 

Fullerton,  Noah,  67 

Fulton,  Dr.  Justin  D.,  49  n.,  64,  118 

Funk,  Ann,  295  n. 

Furnishings  of  houses:  at  first  home- 
made, 17;  lighting,  18,  128; 
libraries,  18,  26-27  and  n.;  in 
villages  in  Wisconsin  in  1867-79: 
for  bedrooms,  317;  beds  and 
bedding,  317,  319;  bookcase  and 
writing-desk,  316;  bureau,  317; 
candles  and  lamps,  319;  carpets 
made  of  rags  and  laid  on  straw, 
315-16;  chairs,  315;  clock,  316; 
framed  certificates  of  marriage, 
316;  mottoes  and  pictures,  316; 
possibly  organ  or  piano,  316-17; 
quilts,  and  how  made,  317-18; 
rugs,  homemade,  316;  shelves, 
covering  for,  318;  sitting-rooms, 
what  in,  315-17;  soft  soap, 
homemade,  319,  337-38;  stoves, 
319;  tables,  315;  tableware,  318; 
wall-pocket  and  whatnot,  317; 
washstand  and  bench,  317,  319; 
water,  pail  and  dipper  for,  319; 
window  shades,  315;  furnishings 
of  hotel,  306 

Games  and  plays;    see  amusements 
German  Students'  Home,  357 
Gilbert,  Deacon  Timothy,  48-50  n. 
Goodspeed,  Thomas  W.,  196 
Gordon,  Dr.  John,  98,  121 
Gould,  Thomas,  49 
Great  War,  365,  380 
Greenwich,  N.Y.,  31  n.,  41,  42,  43, 

137 
Gurney,  Leander  P.,  67 


402 


THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 


Hahnemann  Medical  College,  84 
Hamilton  Literary  and  Theological 

Institution,  139-41,  148 
Hamilton,  N.Y.,  139,  356 
Harkness,  Albert,  141,  143 
Harper,  Dr.  William  R.,  287,  355 
Harvard  University,  228  n.,  235,  237 
Haskell,  Rev.  Samuel,  60,  157  n. 
Heim,  Esther,  295  n.,  296  and  n. 
Hennepin,  298,  299 
Henson,  Rev.  P.  S.,  191-92,  198  n., 

367 

"Herd  walks,"  7 
Hibbard,  Hannah,  10 
Hill,  Esther  B.  B.,  155 
Hill,  Deacon  Samuel,  155 
Holcomb,  Huldah  Jane,  343 
Holmes,  Rev.  James  H.,  108 
Holmesburg,  Pa.  (now  part  of  Phila- 
delphia), 31  n.,  41,  136-37;  view 
of  Baptist  Church,  47 
Horace  Mann  School,  see  Chicago, 

elementary  public  schools  in 
Houses:    built  by  "logging  bees," 
17,  29;    descriptions  of  early  log 
houses,    6,    17;     fireplaces    long 
used,    17,    128;    frame  house  in 
Wisconsin      described,      313-15; 
needed  cellar  and  cistern,  313-14; 
hotel  in  Minnesota  in  1865,  306; 
see  furnishings  of  houses 
Hubbardton,  Vt.,  17,  18,  32 
Hudson,  Mrs.  Marceline  B.,  158 
Hunt,  Rev.  John,  148,  149-50 

Illinois:  agriculturally  attractive 
and  possessed  of  extensive  coal 
fields,  241;  condition  of  farmers 
and  laborers  during  Civil  War, 
242;  educational  and  religious 
needs  early  looked  after,  167,  243; 
good  district  and  many  higher 
schools  and  colleges,  243;  nature 
and  size  of  population  in  1860, 
241;  number  of  colored  persons 


and  legal  restrictions  on  them, 
243;  railroad  and  waterway 
transportation,  83-84,  242 

Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company, 
242 

Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  242 

Immanuel  Baptist  Church  of  Chi- 
cago, 284,  355 

Indian  scouts,  vii,  4  and  n.,  9;  wars, 
4  and  n.,  9,  305,  307  and  n. 

Influenza  in  1918,  380,  381 

lola,  Kan.,  346,  347~49 

Jeffrey,  Charles  L.,  49,  58 

Kendrick,  Asahel  C.,  140 

Kendrick,  Nathaniel,  140 

Keoxa  (now  Winona),  Minn.,  301 

Kilbourn,  Ruth,  16 

King  Philip's  War,  4  and  n.,  9 

Kingsbury,  N.Y.,  31  n.,  39-41,  134; 
pictures  of  schoolhouse  and  Bap- 
tist meetinghouse  face  p.  141 

Kinnickinnick  River,  258 

Kraut,  Elizabeth,  295  n. 

Labor  in  1863,  242 

La  Crosse,  Wis.,  308 

Lac  des  Pleurs,  298 

Lake  City,  Minn.:  attractive  site, 
formerly  part  of  half-breed  reser- 
vation, and  once  occupied  by 
mound-builders,  303-4;  impor- 
tant "river  town,"  303;  "point" 
and  old  hotel  described,  306; 
stirred  by  Sioux  Massacres  of 
1862,  305;  store  described,  344; 
trading-point  for  a  portion  of 
Wisconsin  as  well  as  of  Minnesota, 
307;  view  of,  in  1867,  faces  p.  301 

Lake  Pepin:  derivation  of  name 
unknown,  299  and  n.;  called 
"Lake  of  Tears,"  in  1680,  298, 
299  n.,  and  later  "Lake  Good 
Help,"  299;  designation  by  Mark 
Twain,  333  n.;  described  in  1700, 


INDEX 


403 


299;  fish  in  it,  339;  forts  estab- 
lished by  the  French,  299  n.,  300 
and  n.;  navigation,  332-36; 
temper,  302-3;  winter  uses, 
339;  views  of  bits  of  the  lake 
face  pp.  301,  338 

Latimer,  George,  56 

Lebanon,  Conn.,  10,  13 

Lewis,  Leslie,  282-83 

Lexington,  Mass.,  260;  first  state 
normal  school,  260 

Lincoln,  President,  77,  164 

Litchfield,  Conn.,  10,  16,  19 

Long,  Major,  302 

Lorimer,  Dr.  George  C.,  355 

Los  Angeles,  Calif.,  375 

Lotteries,  146,  252 

Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition,  287 

Lumber  rafts,  333 

Lumpkin's  Jail,  105,  106;  and  slave 
market,  105 

Mabie,  Dr.  Henry  C.,  98 

Madison,  Wis.,  177,  259 

Madison  University,  139,  148,  356 

Maiden  Rock  point  or  bluff: 
description,  300;  Indian  legend 
associated  with  name,  301-2; 
landmark  for  pilots,  301;  loca- 
tion, on  Lake  Pepin,  300;  Mark 
Twain's  characterization,  333  n.; 
scene  from  top,  301;  view  of 
"The  Maiden's  Rock"  as  pictured 
in  1825  faces  p.  301 

Maiden  Rock,  Wis.,  village  of: 
location,  309;  first  called  Harris- 
burg,  309;  first  settlers,  arrange- 
ment for  post-office,  religious 
services,  school,  309;  buildings, 
population,  and  chief  occupa- 
tions in  1867,  310-11;  clothing, 
boots  and  shoes  worn,  320-24; 
environmental  attractions  in  sum- 
mer, of  lake,  332-34,  339,  and 
land,  337,  with  change  in  whiter, 
339-41;  fashions,  320;  fishing, 


339;  game,  337;  games  and 
pastimes,  325-27;  a  garden  in, 
314;  hired  girls,  319;  making  of 
soft  soap  and  of  maple  sugar, 
337-38;  maxims,  329-31;  news- 
papers and  almanacs,  327;  reli- 
gious conditions,  328-29,  331; 
river  and  lake  boats  and  naviga- 
tion, 331-36;  schoolhouse  and 
school,  341-42;  schoplbooks  and 
copy  books,  342;  social  life,  326- 
27;  teaming,  coasting,  and  sleigh- 
riding  in  winter,  339-41;  timber, 
nuts,  and  wild  berries,  337;  see 
also  houses,  and  furnishings  of 
houses 

Mammoth  Cave,  Ky.,  287 

Maple  sugar  bush,  338 

Massachusetts  Abolition  Society,  52 

"May  Meetings,"  122 

Maxims,  330-31 

Medicines,  family,  328 

Menomonie,  Wis.,  180-84,  191  n., 
255 

Methodist  ministers,  328 

Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  377 

Miami,  Fla.,  378-79 

Miller,  William,  56 

Minnesota:  described  as  "New 
England  of  the  West,"  297;  how 
reached  in  1858,  298;  population 
in  1860  representing  16  languages, 
297;  Wisconsin  help  for  harvest- 
ing, 343 

Mississippi  River,  242,  298,  299  n., 
303, 309, 33i,  333,  332, 333  and  n., 
335  and  n. 

Montgomery  County,  Pa.,  295,  308 

Moody,  Dwight  L.,  98 

Morse,  Samuel  F.  B.,  161 

Mount  Carroll,  111.:  early  impor- 
tance, 172;  picturesquely  located, 
172,  249;  population  in  1868, 172; 
Rev.  Charles  K.  Colver  pastor  of 
Baptist  church,  172-74,  190  n.; 
seat  of  Frances  Shimer  School, 


404 


THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 


formerly  Mount  Carroll  Seminary, 

172 
Mount  Carroll  Seminary:    date  of 

founding  and  early  character,  249; 

fine    location,    172,    249;     Rev. 

Charles  K.  Colver  teacher  of  Latin, 

logic,  and  other  subjects,  174-77; 

view  of  Seminary,  facing  p.  261 
Mount  Vernon,  377 
Mystic,  Conn.,  4 

Nathanael  Greene  School,  Chicago, 

287-91;  view  of  building,  276 
National  Education  Association,  287 
National  Theological  Institute,  103, 

no 

National  Zoological  Park,  379-80 
Neale,  Dr.  Rollin  H.,  59,  152 
New  France,  300 
New  Hampshire  Articles  of  Faith, 

1 68,  181 
New  Jersey,  13 

New  Lebanon  Springs,  N.Y.,  35 
New  Lisbon,  Wis.,  177-80,  191  n., 

250,  252-55 

New  London,  Conn.,  4,  9,  13 
New  York  City,  52,  377,  379 
Newport,  R.I.,  15 
Newspapers,  3 2 5,  327,  352 
Newton  Centre,  Mass.,  147 
Newton     Theological     Institution, 

147-49,  151 
"Noonhouses,"  232 
Normal  College,  Chicago,  281  n. 
North  Pole,  377,  378 
Northrup,  Dr.  G.  W.,  92 
Norwich,  Conn.,  9,  10,  13 

Ogdensburg,  N.Y.,  37  and  n.,  38 
Ohio  River,  242 

Olcott,  Rev.  James  B.,  93  and  n. 
Old  Colony  Railroad,  229 
Organ,  pipe,  in  1847,  235 
Orwell,  Vt.,  19,  20,  23,  32 


Packets,  332,  334 

Padelford,  Deacon,  248 

Pan-American  Exposition  at  Buf- 
falo, 287 

Panama-California  Exposition,  at 
San  Diego,  375 

Panama  Pacific  International  Ex- 
position, at  San  Francisco,  375 

Panic  of  1857,  90 

Parents'  Association,  280,  290 

Peary,  Robert  E.,  enthusiastic  on 
aeronautics,  378;  polar  expedi- 
tion and  dog-sledge,  377 

Peck,  Elder  John  M.,  25 

Penicaut,  299 

Pequot,  Conn.,  4,  9 

Pequot  War,  4 

Perrot,  Nicholas,  299 

Pews,  renting,  29,  30,  50 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  40,  41,  137,  308, 
377 

Pilgrims,  4,  228,  251  and  n. 

"Pitts,"  7 

Plymouth,  Mass.,  229 

Princeton,  N.J.,  148 

Projection  Club,  280 

Proverbs,  329-31 

Providence,  R.I.,  15,  141-42,  380 

Province  House,  147 

Puritans,  n;  churches  of,  13-14; 
Sabbath  of,  12,  232;  not  all 
separatists,  14 

Quakers,  persecution  in  Massachu- 
setts, 15;  Rogerene,  12 

Railroads,  334;  Chicago,  Burlington 
&  Quincy,  334-35  n.;  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul,  334  n.; 
Fort  Scott  to  Wichita,  Kan., 
349 

Raymond,  William  R.,  193 

Reade,  William,  of  Weymouth,  227; 
representative  in  General  Court 


INDEX 


405 


of  Colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay, 
228 

Reconstruction  agitation  and  era, 
no,  169 

Red  Cedar  River,  255 

Reed:  Jonathan  Loring,  227,  229; 
Lucy  Champney,  227;  Susanna 
Champney,  162,  227;  William, 
228;  Captain  William,  236;  Reed 
characteristics,  227  n. 

Revolutionary  War,  16,  19,  235 

Rhode  Island,  famous  for  religious 
toleration,  141;  lotteries,  146 

Rhode  Island  College,  142 

Richmond,  Va.,  31,  41,  103-14,  123 
and  n.,  379 

Richmond  Theological  Seminary, 
no 

River  Falls  State  Normal  School, 
184,  259,  260 

River  Falls,  Wis.,  182,  184-87, 
191  n.,  258 

Robertson,  David  Allan,  viii 

Rochester,  N.Y.,  356 

Rochester  Theological  Seminary, 
357 

Roentgen  rays,  364,  and  Roentgeno- 
grams,  380 

"Rogerenes,"  12-13 

Rogers,  John,  12 

Rosenberger:  Amos,  296  and  n., 
336,  345;  Christian,  295  n.; 
Daniel,  295  n.;  David,  295  n.; 
Mrs.  Esther,  295  n.,  296-97  and 
nn.;  Franklin  Henry,  343  n.; 
Henry,  295  and  n.;  Mrs.  Huldah 
Jane,  343  and  n.;  Jacob,  295  n.; 
Jesse,  295  and  n.,  296-98,  303, 
304,  308-9,  311,  314,  329,  336-37, 
343  and  n.,  345,  346;  Mrs. 
Susan  Esther  (Colver),  291,  371- 
83 

Rosenberger,  Jesse  Leonard :  Amer- 
ican ancestors  and  parents,  295 
and  n.,  296-97;  birthplace  and 
birth,  303-4;  boyhood,  304-12, 


314-15,  325-26,  336-45;  employ- 
ment at  various  times,  311-12, 
314-15,  341,  343-46,  347-49, 
352-53,  356,  362;  attended  old 
University  of  Chicago,  350-56; 
was  graduated  from  University  of 
Rochester,  356-58,  362;  was 
graduated  from  law  school,  and 
admitted  to  bar,  362;  degrees 
received,  362;  opened  law  office 
in  Chicago,  365-66,  374;  repor- 
torial  and  editorial  work  and 
publications,  366-70  and  nn.; 
interest  in  amateur  photography, 
370-71;  marriage,  and  after  life, 
371-84;  places  of  residence: 
Lake  City,  Minn.,  304;  Maiden 
Rock,  Wis.,  309;  lola,  Kan.,  346; 
Chicago,  111.,  350;  Rochester, 
N.Y.,  356;  Chicago,  362 

Rowley,  Mrs.  W.  A.,  284-86 

Rush  Medical  College,  84 

Rush  River,  309 

Russo-Japanese  War,  365 

Russo-Turkish  War,  365 

St.  Augustine,  Fla.,  379 

St.  Croix  River,  333 

St.  Helena,  S.C.,  104 

St.  Paul,  Minn.,  303 

San  Diego,  Calif.,  375 

San  Francisco,  Calif.,  375 

Sayings,  common,  329-31 

Scriptural  meditations  of  Rev.  C.  K. 
Colver,  199-224. 

Sears,  Barnas,  140,  148 

Secret  societies,  movement  against, 
45,  178,  180,  183-84 

Sharp,  Dr.  Daniel,  152 

Shawsheen  River,  238 

Shurtleff  College,  98 

Sioux  Indians,  298,  301,  303;  Mas- 
sacre, 305,  307  and  n. 

Slavery,  see  Colver,  Rev.  Nathaniel, 
D.D. 


406 


THROUGH  THREE  CENTURIES 


Smith,  Gerrit,  71 

Smith,  Dr.  Justin  A.,  113,  131  n., 
i7S 

Smith,  Dr.  S.  F.,  152 

Soap,  soft,  319,  337-38 

South  Abington  (now  Whitman), 
Mass.,  31  n.,  66,  68,  161-62, 
190  n.,  227-29,  232,  235-36 

South  Pole,  377 

Spanish- American  War,  365 

Spencertown,  N.Y.,  16,  17,  19,  26 

Steamboats,  303,  306,  331-36 

Sterling,  111.,  297,  298 

Stone,  Charles  N.  L.,  164,  239 

Storey,  Hon.  Joseph,  118 

Sunday,  "Billy,"  377 

Swansea,  Mass.,  15 

Telegraphy,  wireless,  324,  364 

Telephone,  324,  364,  373 

Temperance,  43,  45,  51,  53, 119, 186, 
327,  365 

Temple  Building,  Chicago,  76;  view 
of,  381 

Temple,  Dr.  John  D.,  76 

Theological  Society  for  the  North- 
west, 93 

Theological  Union  of  Chicago,  93 

Thompson,  Esther,  228 

Tolman,  Dr.  Cyrus  F.,  120-21,  194 

"Towns,"  in  New  England,  24,  127 

Trans-Mississippi  Exposition  at 
Omaha,  287 

Trask,  George,  119 

Tremont  Temple,  Boston,  see  Bap- 
tist churches,  and  Boston,  Mass. 

Tremont  Theater,  58 

Underground  railway,  43,  70,  159 
Union  Pier,  Mich.,  189 
Union  Stock  Yards,  84,  276 
Union    Village    (now    Greenwich), 
N.Y.,  31  n.,  41,  137 


Unitarian  Church,  14 

United  States,  development  of,  363; 
in  Great  War,  380;  population, 
363-64 

University  of  Chicago,  first  cash  con- 
tribution, 196;  founding  and 
development,  365;  Divinity 
School,  vii,  100,  124;  Susan 
Colver  Rosenberger  Educational 
Prizes,  382 

University  of  Chicago  (old),  see 
Chicago,  old  or  first  University  of 

University  of  Pennsylvania,  260 

University  of  Rochester:  origin  and 
date  of  founding,  356-57;  loca- 
tion, 356,  357;  buildings  in  1886, 
description  and  view  of,  356,  357- 
58;  chapel  talks,  356,  357;  enrol- 
ment and  hours  of  recitation,  358; 
faculty,  358;  students,  ages  of, 
and  course  taken  by  majority, 
357>  358;  young  women  not 
admitted,  358;  reflects  sturdy 
character  of  first  president, 
Martin  B.  Anderson,  described, 
358-62;  shows  great  growth,  364 

Vail,  Mrs.  Amelia  M.,  171-72,  247- 

48 

Valparaiso,  Chile,  154-55 
Vermont,  early  days  in,  17-20,  128- 

29 

Village  life:  advantages  of  for  boys, 
311-12;  in  New  England  around 
1859,  230-32;  of  girls  in  Wis- 
consin in  1871,  253-54;  typical, 
in  Wisconsin,  1867-79,  3°9~45 

Virginia  Union  University,  no,  379 

Wapasha  Indians,  301 

Wars:  Chino- Japanese,  365;  Civil, 
see  Civil  War;  War  of  1812,  24, 
227;  Franco-Prussian,  365;  Great, 
365,  380;  King  Philip's,  4,  9; 
Pequot,  4;  Revolutionary,  16, 19, 
235;  Russo-Japanese,  365;  Russo- 
Turkish,  365;  South  African  or 
Boer,  365;  Spanish- American,  365 


INDEX 


407 


Wasco,  111.,  189 

Washington,  D.C.,  41,  377,  379-80 
Washington  Monument,  377 
Watertown,  Mass.,  151-52,  190  n. 
Watson,  Dr.  Charles  H.,  157 

Wayland  Academy,  259,  260-62; 
under  old  University  of  Chicago, 
261;  religious  atmosphere,  261; 
things  emphasized,  261-62;  view 
of  Wayland  Hall,  261 

Wayland,  Francis,  142,  144 

Webster,  Daniel,  120,  147 

West    Clarendon    (now    Chippen- 

hook),  Vt.,  31  n.,  32-33,  "8 
West  Palm  Beach,  Fla.,  379 
West  Stockbridge  Center,  Mass.,  19, 

24,  25,  32 
Western  Baptist  Education  Society, 

74 


Weymouth,  Mass.,  227,  228,  229 
Wheaton,  111.,  188-89,  iQi  n. 
White,  Agnes  G.,  283-84 
Whitefield,  Mr.,  revivalist,  233 
Whitman,  Mass.,  see  South  Abington 
Williams,  Judge  Clarence  S.,  371 
Williams,  Roger,  15 
Winona,  Minn.,  301 
Winona,  Indian  legend  of,  301-2 
Winthrop,  John,  the  younger,  4 
Wise,  Governor,  of  Virginia,  7 1 
Woodstock,  111.,  31  n.,  75 
Worcester,  Mass.,  152-55,  190  n. 
World's  Antislavery  Convention,  52 
World's  Columbian  Exposition,  in 

Chicago,  287 

Worship,  family,  170,  329 
Wyoming  Valley,  305 


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